BFF25: Words of War

Australian premiere

This UK co-production features a brilliant ensemble and from the opening frame to its haunting coda, Words of War immerses audiences in the brave and fraught world of investigative journalism under siege. Maxine Peake delivers a fearless, searing performance as Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian reporter who refused to be silenced even as she exposed atrocities in Chechnya. Opposing her stars Ciarán Hinds as Dmitry Muratov, her editor and moral anchor, and Jason Isaacs as her conflicted husband, who watches her rise while fearing its costs.

Following Anna’s courageous journey through intimidation, violence, and resistance—poisonings, threats, and state-sanctioned pressure only intensify her conviction. The film interrogates the price of truth in a regime built on fear, asking: when the state commands silence, who dares to speak?

Bold in its stakes, intimate in its heartbreak, Words of War is a vital, timely cinematic testament to the power and the peril of bearing witness. This biopic is not just a portrait of one woman’s sacrifice, but a rallying cry for press freedom in perilous times.

Director: James Strong
Cast: Maxine Peake, Jason Isaacs, Ciarán Hinds, Alexey Serebryakov, Ben Miles