Armando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin pisses off Russia

The news of Armando Iannucci’s new film, The Death of Stalin, has not gone down well in Russia. Reports are that the authorities in the country are considering banning the black comedy, which imagines the comic goings on in the Russian government in the aftermath of Joseph Stalin's death in 1953 as the Soviet Communist Party flounders in his absence.

The Guardian reported that Pavel Pozhigailo, an adviser to the Russian culture ministry, called the film a “planned provocation” that aimed to anger Russia’s communists. In an attempt to prevent violent protests, they may not grant the film a distribution licence in the country.

The film send-up of Stalin-era Russia has also angered the Russian Communist Party, with a party spokesperson, Alexander Yushchenko, suggesting the film was an “attempt to spark discontent”. Russian press are also sceptical of the film. The Guardian reports that Vzglyad, a pro-Kremlin newspaper, called the film “a nasty send-up by outsiders who know nothing of our history … Should it be screened in Russia? Of course not.” Stalin’s reputation is clearly still strong in Russia, despite the countless atrocities he oversaw there.

The film may not be welcome in Russia, but it’s eagerly anticipated elsewhere. Iannucci’s last directorial film project, the brilliant In the Loop, was eight years ago, so many are keen to see the satirist behind Veep and The Thick of It back working on the big screen again.

Early reviews have also been promising. The film premiered at Toronto Film Festival last week to much acclaim – IndieWire called it “vintage Iannucci”. Add to this a cast that includes the likes of Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin and Jason Isaacs, and there’s plenty to look forward to. We’ll find out if Russian movie-goers get to see it when it’s released next month.

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The Death of Stalin is released in the UK on 20 Oct by Entertainment One