Words of War: Refusing to Silence Press Freedom (Part 1)

In this first episode of a special two-part series, host Sandra Abrams chats with Mark Maxey, WIFV board member and producer of a new geo-political thriller, WORDS OF WAR. The film tells the story of Russian-American journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, who was assassinated on October 7, 2006 for uncovering the truth about the Chechen War. The film opens in theaters on May 2, the day before United Nations’ World Press Freedom Day. The all-star cast includes Maxine Peake as Anna, Ciaran Hinds as her editor, Dmitry, and Jason Isaacs as her husband, Sasha. Oscar-winner Sean Penn and Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) serve as executive producers. In their conversation, Mark shares why this film is so timely to what is happening today when the world seeks to hold the powerful accountable for crimes against humanity. He also gives insight into how Sean Penn joined the film as executive producer. 

Part two will feature lead actress, Maxine Peake and will be released on May 11th. 

To learn more about Words of War, visit: https://www.rollingpictures.com/
You can watch the film’s trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pui6KMbHECM

#WordsOfWar
#WorldPressFreedomDay

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Transcript

VO
00:01 - 00:21
Quiet on the set! All together, in action! Welcome to Media Makers Spotlight from Women in Film and Video in Washington, D.C. We bring you conversations with industry professionals for behind-the-screens insight and inspiration. 

Sandra Abrams
00:23 - 01:33
When Sean Penn puts his name behind a project, you know it will be a powerful story with a lesson. In this case, it's about press freedom. I'm your host, Sandra Abrams, and in this episode, we'll discuss a new film, Words of War. It tells the story of Russian-American journalist Anna Polikovskaya, which I probably mispronounced. She put her life on the line by covering the atrocities of the Chetnian War. She was assassinated near her apartment in Moscow on October 7, 2006, the same day as Vladimir Putin's birthday. To talk about this new film, Press Freedom and Journalism, is one of the film's producer, Mark Maxey. Mark is a writer, director, and Emmy-winning film producer and president of Rolling Pictures. Previously to this project, he worked on a number of films, including the documentary Up to Snuff. Plus, along with me, he is a board member of Women in Film and Video. So I'm very excited to have one of our own here to talk to about this picture. Welcome to Media Maker Spotlight, Mark. 

Mark Maxey
01:34 - 01:35
Thank you, Sandy. 

Sandra Abrams
01:36 - 02:03
So I read in your production statement that when Marion Siegel brought this information to you, you were surprised 1,800 journalists had been killed. And you were like, I never heard this before, and I want to learn more. So what was that conversation? First of all, how did you meet Miriam Siegel? And what was those conversations like where you said, okay, I'm interested in doing this project as a producer? 

Mark Maxey
02:04 - 02:52
Yeah, she and I were connected through a mutual friend who's also a producer on this Kia Jam. He had put us together. Miriam is from the UK. She's British. I'm based here. And, you know, this is a story that she had found, I think, when Anna had been assassinated or murdered. Miriam had clipped out the obituary that had appeared in the newspaper and saved it. And then it found a screenwriter who researched the story and put the screenplay together. So, you know, when it came to me, the project was a fully formed story. And I was really just amazed that this is something that wasn't better known or better understood. I had heard about, you know, there's a couple of journalists who have been killed that kind of seeked him to, you know, I think the public's consciousness. Daniel Pearl 

Sandra Abrams
02:52 - 03:05
was one. I have the book right here because I did work in New York as a print person and they came and did this book and did a talk. I was a member of the New York Financial Writers Association. So, yeah. So 

Mark Maxey
03:05 - 04:32
Danny Pearl, I mean, that I think was the first. It really came to consciousness before Anna's murder. And then Kishungi was another, you know, very high profile. But, you know, it was staggering to learn that, you know, since just the beginning of this century, just in the last 24 years, 1,800 journalists have lost their lives pursuing this story. That's just really an overwhelming number. And so, and Anna's story, it kind of symbolizes this whole issue of the dangers that journalists face in the 21st century and the reprisals and danger that you could come under for speaking truth to power. This isn't just a Russian story. This is a story that affects journalists all over the world, including here in the U.S. So it's a different time for journalists today, and we so desperately need people who have the courage to truthfully share what's happening in the world with the rest of us so that we have an informed electorate and know what's going on. You know, the Washington Post used to say that democracy dies in darkness. And I think that's increasingly proving out to be true as our freedoms are challenged or curtailed or the Constitution's limits are tested. Journalists are the ones that we depend on to make sure that we're aware of what's going on in the world and can change it if it needs to be changed. 

Sandra Abrams
04:33 - 04:49
Right. And that was something you had said in your production notes, and I just thought it was so powerful. Her murder exemplifies the grave threats journalists endure and lengths to which authoritarian forces will go to suppress the truth. 

Mark Maxey
04:50 - 05:08
Yes. And whether you're a journalist or whatever your profession is, everyone should have the right to do their job without fear of death or reprisal. That's really an underlying theme of this story. And one of the messages that we hope we can convey by sharing this film with the world. 

Sandra Abrams
05:09 - 05:37
So now Eric Poppin is the screenwriter. So he had already had the script. Marion, came to you. I know that when I had initially talked to you, this was about a year and a half ago, when we were leaving a WIF board meeting, I believe, you were showing the film at the National Press Club the next day. And I think at that time it was called Mother Russia. And then the name changed, Words of War. Can you talk about that? Were you involved in that decision? What was those conversations like? 

Mark Maxey
05:38 - 06:34
Yes, yeah. So, you know, finding that the right title is important. So the screenplay was written as Mother Russia, and that was the working title for the film while we were in production. I think there was some concern that perhaps trying to market a story called Mother Russia made it sound like something that perhaps it isn't. So this is a story looking at what happened to this Russian-American journalist for speaking truth to power. And we were sure the mother of Russia really encapsulated that. So Words of War seemed to be a much more appropriate title. You know, she's a journalist. Words are her sword. And that's what she used to really spotlight the atrocities that she uncovered of what was happening, in this case, to the people of Chekhov. But, you know, things evolve when you make a film and titles evolve. And I think this is one where that change perhaps better represents the nature of what the story is that we're trying to share. 

Sandra Abrams
06:34 - 07:30
You have an amazing cast here. I just want to go through it. I mean, they all have a slew of awards. They've got TV experience, theater experience, film experience, Maxine Peake. I know I saw her way back when, when she was in Agatha Christie, especially because my grandparents were British. And so, you know, I definitely follow all the British shows and everything. And she was in Silk. And then she plays the lead of Anna Jacek Isaac, who has just finished his run of season three with The White Lotus. Plays her husband, Sasha. Kieran Hines, who I think is just fabulous. He was in Munich. He was in Belfast. He plays her editor, Dimitri. James Strong, who I saw has also directed some episodes of Downton Abbey, close to my heart. But you just have amazing people. What was the casting like with that? And tell us, what was your involvement as a producer for that? 

Mark Maxey
07:31 - 09:25
Yeah, so the casting, pretty much, it's an all-British cast. Our approach to this was, I kind of equated... Well, your mind is Irish, so just... Correct, yes, although it's an all-UK cast, forgive me. So, yes, he's Irish. I think he's living in France at the moment, but yes. So it's a very U.K., it's a very European cast. And our thought was, there was a film years ago with Sean Connery where he played a Russian submarine commander. In that film, we know he's a Russian submarine commander, but he sounds like Sean Connery, And we just believe that this must be what what what Russians sound like within the context of the story. And what we didn't want is people trying to speak in some, you know, broken English, Russian, American kind of sounding accent that just what if I think kind of detracted from the authenticity of the story. We wanted the focus to be in the story, not on not on the, you know, the accents or the speech. So there was a conscious choice that anyone that has more than one line of dialogue is going to be English and sound like they're from the UK. So that way everyone sounds consistent. The only exception to that in the film are scenes where we're actually talking to Czechian people who then speak in Czechian. And we subtitle that accordingly because if the world around us is all speaking in Russian, then that would need subtitles. So that was the approach. It's a UK production, really. I mean, the UK is the country of origin for the film. We filmed it on location in Latvia, so it looked very authentically Russian. But the cast are all from the United Kingdom. And they're just brilliant, each in their own right. And the people you mentioned, Ian Hart and Ben Miles, and there's so many others who are from The Crown, have all these amazing bodies of work. 

Sandra Abrams
09:25 - 11:25
Several people from Harry Potter. Karen was also in Game of Thrones. Jason Isaac played Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy. Yep, and then Ian Hart, who's our antagonist in the film, was the bad guy in the very first Harry Potter movie, Professor Quirrell. Harry had to kill at the end. So it's, you know, and actually, Kara, I think, was in the last Harry Potter movie, playing Dumbledore's brother. So a lot of connections there, and it was just wonderful being surrounded by actors of that caliber, you know, bringing these roles to life, and they were all remarkable. Maxine Peake, who's perhaps less known to U.S. audiences, although I think increasingly she'll become better known. She was in The Theory of Everything, where she played Stephen Hawking's wife, which was a film that had come out here a few years back and has just been cast in an Apple TV series that will be coming out. So you'll be hearing more from her. But she so beautifully captured Anna at that press club screening that you had referenced earlier where we showed it to some journalists in D.C. There was a journalist in the audience who had been stationed in Moscow Gowan knew Anna personally and came up after and said he had goosebumps because Maxine did such an amazing job of capturing Anna's spirit and voice and courage. And physically, she resembles Anna as well. So he was really moved by the portrayal in the film and how authentic and real it felt and praised Maxine's job bringing Anna back to life. It was really a beautiful thing. Speaking of people who knew Anna, her editor in real life, Dmitry Murtrov, he was her editor-in-chief of this particular Russian publication until November 2017. He also was attacked as well, but he's still alive. Did you ever have a chance to speak with him, to get any insight, or did Eric Poppin, the screenwriter, speak with him to put more of Anna and to make sure they captured her? 

Mark Maxey
11:25 - 12:41
I have not spoken with him, and I can't speak for the writer for what he did in his research. He was in touch with different people from Anna's family and her world. But Dimitri, in real life, is just a remarkable person as well. You know, Anna was one of, I believe, seven journalists who worked for him at the Novaya Gazeta who were murdered writing things that the government did not appreciate or want shared with the public. And Dmitry himself in 2022 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And that was the same year that Russia invaded Ukraine. And he wanted to do something to help the children of Ukraine who had been orphaned by the war with Russia. So he auctioned off his Nobel Prize for charity and donated all that money to them. And I believe you could fact check me if I have it wrong, but I believe his Nobel Prize was auctioned off for more than $130 million. So, I mean, what a remarkable person to have that big of a heart to make that big of an impact on children who were adversely affected by Russia's aggression towards the Ukrainian people. You know, I think each of the people in the story are just really remarkable in their own right. 

Sandra Abrams
12:41 - 12:50
Oh, it's true. I did read about he had auctioned that off. And I just thought what a tremendous, compassionate and humanitarian thing to do, you know, 

Mark Maxey
12:50 - 12:51
for the children. 

Sandra Abrams
12:52 - 13:10
I wanted to ask you. So you were already working on this film and you had the director. You had the script. So I read Sean Penn came in about 2023. So can you share the backstory about his involvement and with the congressman as well? How did Sean Penn become involved? 

Mark Maxey
13:10 - 16:37
Sure. I can't imagine talking to him. So please, any information. He's amazing. And he's been a good friend to us on this. So we started principal photography on location in Lavia in November of 2022. And we finished principal photography at the end of January 2023. By that fall, we had a rough cut of the film, and I had shared it with my friend, Congressman Swalwell from California. This is an issue that matters to him. He's the member of Congress that introduced the Journalism Protection Act. He wanted to make aggression towards journalists to make that equal to a hate crowd where, you know, journalists are more protected because of the dangers that they face. So the fact that he had introduced the Journalism Protection Act really made this story resonate with him. And he had shared it with Sean. Sean was his friend. And when Sean, you know, heard about this, I was contacted. We asked to arrange a screening. And when Sean saw the rough cut, he said, how can I help? What can I do? And so he joined the team as an executive producer. Yeah. No, you can't ask for any better advocate right there. Yeah. And so when we did that screening for the journalists at the National Press Club last year, he came out and introduced the film. Congressman Swalwell was on the panel. following the film along with the legendary journalist Bob Woodward from the Washington Post and John Brennan, the former CIA director and national security advisor. So they had a panel discussion following the film, which was really just amazing to hear them talk about these people and the subjects that were raised in the film and relate that to what's going on in the world today. So, yeah, Sean's been a huge help just kind of raising the visibility for the film and the story. I've made other films and they're entertaining and fun or a good date night movie in one case, but none really felt important in the way that this feels important. This is more than just entertainment. I feel like sharing Anna's story, sharing this film, Words of War, is really more of an impact campaign where we want people to not only be entertained by an engaging political thriller-type film that kind of tells her story and pulls you into this world, but that also you leave with a better understanding of the importance of journalists and the dangers that they face and why we need them, why we should protect them, not persecute them. And hopefully this helps kind of elevate the debate and awareness and stimulate some conversations around this issue and have an impact. And to that end, with the film, Rolling Pictures is committed to donate a portion of its proceeds from the film to support a couple organizations that help journalists. There's a group in New York called the Committee to Protect Journalists that for over 50 years has done an amazing job as a resource and support and lifeline for journalists that are sometimes in very dangerous situations. And then here in the Washington, D.C. area, the National Press Club has established the Freedom Center, which is another resource for journalists based here. So we'll be donating a portion of the Words of Horrors box office proceeds to those two causes so that the film hopefully helps support journalists who are still alive and fighting the fight and carrying on in his legacy through their own work. 

Sandra Abrams
16:38 - 17:30
It's all the more reason for people to go out and support the film. You know, and this happened in 2006, you know, and I was like, what's happening recently? You know, I used to be a print reporter. Then I was a TV producer in New York, but also here and sometimes at the White House, sometimes on the Hill. I can imagine what's happening now because we're in such uncertain times for journalists. I mean, not only are government workers losing their job, but the FOIA offices at these various places. I just read the CDC, the FDA, the FOIA offices have been closed down. And these are resources that journalists and anybody, you know, any member of the public can be used, but resources that I have used to find out more information about a story. I just think, you know, it's so unthinkable what's happening now, you know, because of given the fact that, you know, we have freedom of the press written into our 

Mark Maxey
17:30 - 19:03
constitution. Yes. Although, you know, it seems like each week there's some headline or some story about some new attack on journalists. I saw just today a member of Congress who had advocated for violence against journalists that they thought were disloyal or writing things that they didn't approve of. And we've had journalists that have, you know, been banned from the White House or can't cover what's happening because they're not writing things that are favorable to a certain viewpoint or political ideology. And, you know, The film is not political. It's not about any politician. It's not about any candidate or office holder. The issue definitely does deal with this kind of authoritarian, dictatorship-leaning type of activity that journalists are one of the things that dictators target. There is not a free press in Russia. There's not a free press in other countries. Things are censored, things are filtered by a government that only wants the public to know what they want them to know and not what's actually going on. So that's something that we've been very, I think, fortunate here in the Western world to have a free press and to see those freedoms being curtailed in this way. It's really sobering and shocking. And Anna was killed in 2006, and yet this story feels so timely. It feels like this is just the right time to bring words of war to audiences and remind them of, you know, these issues and what's going on in the world. 

Sandra Abrams
19:05 - 19:20
Oh, it's true. The transparency, because that's something here. We've always been used to having that transparency. And now we feel like, wait a minute, you know, somebody's trying to stop us from having that ability to give transparency and to give facts. 

Mark Maxey
19:21 - 20:36
Yeah. And this is also a story of courage. I mean, that's the other thing is that, you know, journalists, my picture of journalists is maybe, you know, people on a typewriter in a smoke-filled room from the 1950s banging away with ticker tape. I mean, I've got a very old-fashioned view of journalists. And, you know, what I've realized just in learning more about Anna's story and these issues is that journalists, it takes so much courage to do what they do. And it takes so much courage to go to the places they go and do the research that they do and uncover the facts and follow them wherever they lead. And then to write about that and put your name on that and have that published. Or if you're a television reporter, to share the stories that are shared. And that takes a lot of courage. These aren't people that are just in a room at a computer. These are people that are putting themselves in harm's way and going to great lengths to really get at the heart of the matter and the truth to share that with people. And I think that, you know, that's a remarkable aspect of this that I had fully appreciated until I became better aware of Anna's courage. And then I see that in other journalists that I respect and follow. 

Sandra Abrams
20:38 - 20:54
Well, I do want to ask you about what we can do when people are seeing the film about their call to action. But I think I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about the music because you do come from a family of musicians. Your mother is a concert marimbas and 

Mark Maxey
20:54 - 20:55
your father is 

Sandra Abrams
20:55 - 21:19
a clarinetist and he taught at the University of Kansas School of Music. You made the film W.G. Snuffy, who's still alive. And I saw at the end of the press kit that you had a special thanks to him. So then I thought, oh, you know. So tell us about, you know, that involvement, you know, with the music, music choices, you know, what that experience was like, given your background. 

Mark Maxey
21:20 - 22:49
Yeah, so the music is so important in film. I think music really helps audiences connect with what's happening in the story. If it's scary or fun or happy or suspenseful, I think the music really helps create that emotional bond with an audience. There was a great line Steven Spielberg had about John Williams, who had written the score to so many of his films. Steven said that, you know, that as a director, he can bring a tear to someone's eye, but it's John's music that makes it fall, which I just love that sentiment. So music is hugely important. Snuffy Walden, who you'd mentioned, is a composer who had written the score for The West Wing and The Wonder Years and 30-something and all these amazing shows. So he had provided some advice on this film, some help with music that we were dealing with at one point. But we have a European composer, Snorri Halgrimson, who's just did an amazing job underscoring this film and adding that emotional depth to the story that's being told. And so, yeah, Snorri was brilliant. And, you know, it's not an overwhelming score. This isn't a big sweeping musical Jurassic Park type experience. But, you know, all the places that it is throughout, it really, I think, really helps propel the story forward and helps the audience connect emotionally with what's happening to these characters in this moment. So, yeah, music's hugely important. And he did an amazing job here. 

Sandra Abrams
22:50 - 23:03
So one of the things you talked about, you know, you've done some funny films, different films. What did this film teach you as a producer that you learned, you know, that helped you in your career? 

Mark Maxey
23:03 - 24:14
Oh, yeah, that's a great question. This is the first kind of international co-production I've been involved with, you know, working with a largely UK-based. All of our heads of department were from the United Kingdom, but all of our crew were local Latvian folks. So every department had spoke English. Every department had at least one person that was fluent in both English and Latvian. You know, there was a lot of things that were kind of unique to working in that kind of environment that I hadn't dealt with in other films where we filmed in New Jersey or New York or Rhode Island, for example. It's a very different approach. And then this is also, I think, in some ways a bigger film. I mean, here we have explosions and we created a hostage situation and there's a war zone happening. So there were some elements there that were different from the more character-driven stories that I've been part of previously. So in many ways, there were some fun challenges here. And it's been, I mean, I'm a lifelong learner. I always try to take something from everything that I do. And being part of this production is no exception. I've certainly come out of it with a lot more that I'll carry forward into my next production for sure. 

Sandra Abrams
24:15 - 24:24
What do you hope audiences take away from the film, or is there a call to action that you have for people who see this film? 

Mark Maxey
24:25 - 27:18
Sure. Well, I mean, the first thing is just we want people to see it. So, you know, there are films that they can go straight to streaming or films that will end up on an HBO or cable TV somewhere. You know, this is a film that is going to have a theatrical run first. It's not going to be available everywhere all at the same time. So if you want to see the film, you need to go see it in theaters in May. It's going to open in New York and Los Angeles that first week of May and then expand to 100 or more screens across the next 20 markets. And then hopefully we'll continue expanding based on whether people want to go see it or not. So it's really largely up to audiences to find the film and go see it on screen. Don't wait for it to come out on streaming. That's the biggest call to action is we want to show that there's a place for independent films still in the theatrical market. You see what the Marvel movies can do and you see what Taylor Swift can do. But, you know, for independent films, thoughtful, well-made, well-crafted stories like this, you know, we'd like to show that there's still a place for these types of films with theatrical movie-going audiences. So, yeah, that's the call to action is go see it in the theater and, you know, bring a thousand friends with you when you do to go see it, because that helps send a message to the industry that, you know, we should support independent storytelling still. Beyond that, yeah, it just helps spread the word to other people. This isn't a big studio film. We don't have an $18 million marketing campaign backing this. And so it's very grassroots organic word of mouth, which is sometimes how some of the best stories tend to find their place and find their audience. So if you like it, tell someone. If you don't like it, tell someone. I think if this movie just gets people talking, I think that's going to be a huge step forward. And then eventually it will also be streaming. We have some great partners in the U.S. here with Mian and Bleecker Street. They have a joint venture called Decal, and so they're going to be handling the streaming of the home entertainment. So this will be streaming towards the middle or end of June and then beyond. In the U.K., they'll be a theatrical release the end of June, end of July. From our great partners there, Signature Entertainment. Italy, Eagle Entertainment and Eagle Films in Italy is planning a theatrical release of the film there. I think there's 20 other countries where the film will be available between now and this fall. So excited to see people embracing it and making it available. So really, it's a call to action. It's just our audience is to please look for words of war, find it, go see it, tweet about it, tell a friend about it, take them to go see it again and hopefully help grow awareness of this very powerful and timely story. 

Sandra Abrams
27:20 - 27:39
Well, to learn more about the film, you can go to Mark's company website. He's one of Mark Maxey. He's one of the producers. www.rollingpictures.com. Go see the film. Support Freedom of the Press. Thank you, Mark, for joining Media Maker Spotlight and talking to us about Words of War with this amazing cast. 

Mark Maxey
27:40 - 27:42
Thank you, Sam. My pleasure. 

VO
27:43 - 28:22
Thanks for listening to Media Maker Spotlight from Women in Film and Video. To learn more about WIF, visit W-I-F as in Frank, V as in Victor.org. This podcast is created by Sandra Abrams, Candice Block, Brandon Ferry, Tara Jabari, and Jerry Reinhardt. And edited by Michelle Kim and Inez Perez. With audio production and mix by Steve Lack Audio. Subscribe to continue learning from more amazing media makers. Please visit MediaMakerSpotlight.com for more information. That's a wrap!