Russia bans ‘disgusting’ Death of Stalin film

RUSSIA’S culture ministry yesterday withdrew permission for the release of British film The Death of Stalin after officials and top arts figures labelled it offensive and “extremist”.

Armando Iannucci’s comedy, which had a world premiere in September, takes a satirical look at the power scramble after Stalin’s 1953 death and includes actors playing historical figures such as Georgy Zhukov, Nikita Khrushchev and Vyacheslav Molotov.

The ministry said that the film’s release was cancelled after officials found it contained “information whose distribution is legally banned in Russia”.

The Anglo-french film was set for a limited release in cinemas from Thursday, which prompted a wave of protests from conservative figures, although it received good reviews in Russian broadsheets.

On Monday, Vladimir Medinsky, the Culture Minister, held a private screening for officials and film directors.

Yelena Drapeko, deputy head of the lower house of parliament’s culture committee, told the RBK news site that she had “never seen anything so disgusting in my life”.