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Fighting against any obstacle in order to report the news without fear of death or reprisal is an admirable sign of the world’s most courageous journalists. The late Russian war reporter, Anna Politkovskaya, is a prime example of such an innovative writer. Her story is chronicled in the new biographical movie, Words of War.

Politkovskaya’s story, which serves as a reminder of the dangers that journalists face and the importance of protecting their right to report the truth, was adapted for the screen by Eric Poppen. BAFTA-nominated filmmaker, James Strong directed the feature. BAFTA TV Award-nominated actress, Maxine Peake portrayed Politkovskaya in the biopic.

Words of War chronicles Anna’s brave crusade as she fought to be an independent voice of truth for the Russian people, which put her own life in jeopardy. The American-Russian writer was a social commentator before she decided to devote her career to investigative journalism, despite the concerns of her husband, Sasha (Jason Isaacs), and their children, Vera (Naomi Battrick) and Ilya (Harry Lawtey), over her safety.

Anna dedicated the final years of her life to helping defend the Chechen community during the Second Chechen War. The journalist also exposed the corruption of Vladimir Putin, who was recently elected as Russia’s president at the time. She was murdered on his birthday in 2006, making her one of the first of his critics to be assassinated under his administration.

Decal released the drama in theaters nationwide this weekend, to coincide with World Press Freedom Day. Peake, Isaacs, Strong and Mark Maxey, who served as one of the project’s producers, along with Sean Penn and Miriam Segal, generously took the time last week to promote Words of War. They participated in a post-screening Q&A at the movie’s World Premiere at Village East by Angelika in New York City.

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Q: Mark, how did the idea arise for Anna’s story to be told in Words of War?

Mark Maxey: Well, Miriam Segal saw Anna’s obituary. For me, being here in the States, I wasn’t necessarily aware of Anna’s story until Miriam got me involved in this. But once I read the screenplay and realized the significance of this issue, it’s a story that I became immediately passionate about, and have been ever since.

I hope it’s more than just entertainment – it’s also an important lesson. No matter who you are, you should be able to go to work without fear of death or reprisal, which is the theme of this film.

Q: Speaking about the fact that the movie is based on Anna’s obituary, how did you find all the elements of the end of her life? How did you recreate those moments for the film?

James Strong: Well, it’s well documented how Anna’s death actually happened. So we took all the details to help us build our set. But I didn’t want it be grotesque, as it was a horrific thing. So we did it in a calm, measured way, as the facts can speak for themselves.

Our brilliant production designer, Crispian Sallis, built the lift and constructed the entire flat where they lived in a shell of a building where nothing existed before we started filming. It wasn’t a real lift, so it’s all a bit of a trick. But it’s all based on the actual research on how it all happened.

Q: Maxine, the movie opens with Anna saying, “Do you think you can sit it out, ignoring what you see?,” in this beautiful voice-over. So what was your connection to Anna and that quote?

Maxine Peake: I have to admit that to my shame, when I first received the script, I had heard of Anna and knew she was a journalist, but that was about it. So then I did the deep dive into her work.

During that process, I realized what an inspirational woman she was. Also, her skill in writing, and her ability to get those stories across with that human touch that she had, made the film difficult for me to turn away.

So it was a deep dive into her work and life. When you first start your research, you think, oh, I’ve got this. But then the more research you do, you realize how little you do actually know, and how deep and dark it gets.

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Q: Maxine, is there one thing that you read during your research into Anna’s life that you held onto the most and opened her up as a character for you to play?

Maxine Peake: I held onto the fact that she always admitted her fear; she never denied the fact that she was fearful and scared. I think for me, that was so important. There was no bravado; instead, she knew the situation of it, which gripped her with fear.

Despite her bravado, a war correspondent wasn’t what Anna set out to be; she was more interested in telling the civilians’ stories. So that helped me form her essence.

Q: Jason, it’s so interesting watching the evolution of Sasha and Anna’s marriage and how things change for them as a couple and a family unit against the changes in her work. What elements were you able to relate to in their marriage? How much did you know about this story?

Jason Isaacs: I heard about the story from a friend. She has a long history of activism in her family. She had friends who were being killed in South Africa. She’s a force of nature, and came to me and said, “I’m going to make this film.” So I read the script.

I always want to tell stories that change the world, but this was a very difficult film to make. Many people in this room wanted to tell this story, and did so by giving money.

As actors, if you have the ability to get things made, these are the stories you need to tell. This is one such story – Anna was telling the Russians what their recently elected president was doing, including why they invaded Chechnya. While this was going on, it was obvious that the press was being curtailed.

So this is the perfect time to release this film, with everything going on in the White House, and the undermining of traditional media. With all the journalists we’ve spoken to recently, they’ve been saying that they always want to verify information with three sources, but now some aren’t sourcing their information. So that proves what an important story this is to tell.

This is also such important story because it offers a glimpse into their marriage. Anna’s husband wasn’t able to cope with his wife’s talent and fame. In the end, everything she did was just too much for him.

Q: Were you able to sit down together and talk about how Anna and Sasha’s relationship would evolve and their time in Russia together?

James Strong: We did meticulous research to make sure the locations were correct. That was all in the script.

We also did a lot of work on the day to make it feel organic and real between Jason and Maxine, and make it feel as though they were in a real relationship.

Q: James, as the movie’s director, you had to figure out how to tell Anna’s complete story, – not just her journalism, but also her marriage and relationship with her children. How did you find the right way to blend her work with her family life?

James Strong: It was in the script from the beginning that the story would not just be about Anna’s professional life, but also her personal life. I think that’s what I responded to the most – that you see the impact of her work on her husband and their children. That was a very different point-of-view from which to tell her story.

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Q: James, while you were directing Words of War, was there a particular message or lesson you want audiences to take away from the story?

James Strong: No, you don’t want to think about that – you want to tell a good story about an amazing person that the audience can engage in. You have to find the right balance between being as authentic and accurate as you can through your research and making it a story that the audience can engage in and empathize with.

Q: Do you feel like a film like Words of War, which is based on such an incredible true story, resonates with you stronger? Is it harder to shed a story that has so much weight and importance in the world?

Jason Isaacs: On a personal level, my wife was worried that I wouldn’t be able to let go of it. But the themes of the film are so important – we all engage with the press, and see how it’s changed.

You can see who’s telling stories and who’s telling the truth. These voices who are telling the truth are being drowned out by AI. When you’re telling a story like this as an actor, you feel it completely, and then it passes through.

Maxine Peake: I’m in complete agreement. I think what stays with you isn’t the character, but the experiences. Your understanding of the world grows, and you feel more engaged in situations that you’ve been playing in. Your world and consciousness are changed when you take part in a project like this.

James Strong: When I watch Anna, as played by Maxine, I see she was an ordinary woman who isn’t terrified of doing things.

Q: James, was there a particular challenging or moving scene for you to film?

James Strong: Well, there were some challenging moments with the scheduling and the weather. You worry that you’re not going to be able to deliver what you want because of the constraints of the time and conditions. The scenes in Chechnya were really tough to film. So I’m proud of the whole cast and crew, who were amazing – they kept going in some pretty terrible conditions.

Q: What does it mean to you that Sean Penn served as one of the producers on Words of War?

Mark Maxey: Well, Representative Eric Swalwell, who served as one of the executive producers on the film, told Sean about what we were doing. They actually met in Ukraine on the day that Russia invaded, and saw Russian aggression up close and personal. So that was deeply meaningful to us. They’re both helping raise the film’s profile, and make sure people hear about it.

Q: You shot the movie two years ago, which feels like a lifetime ago in some ways. How do you process that now as you’re watching the film?

Miriam Segal: Even though we made the film two years ago, it feels like the perfect time to release it now. 2024 was the most dangerous year to be a journalist – the death rate is getting higher and higher.

Jason Isaacs: Yes, this is the perfect time for this movie to be released here, as we see democracy move towards autocracy, which limits press freedom.

Mark Maxey: The release is tragically timely. When you think about the fact that Anna was killed almost 20 years ago in Russia, and you look at where we are to date, it doesn’t seem that much different – it actually seems scaringly similar.

This isn’t a story from the past; this is the world that we live in today. These are pressures that journalists are facing today. There are freedoms that are being curtailed today. This isn’t just something that’s happening in Russia; it’s happening everywhere. It’s a worldwide problem.

I think it’s going to take everyone collectively to really support the independence of press, as well as championing reporting truth over fiction and propaganda. I also think attacks on press freedom are attacks on freedoms for all of us.

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Here’s the trailer of the film.