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New film The Death of Stalin is facing a ban in Russia amid fears it could lead to violent protests.
According to The Guardian , Pavel Pozhigailo - a high-ranking adviser to the culture ministry - believes that the black comedy from Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It , Veep ) could be part of a western plot to destabilise Russia by “causing rifts in society.”
Describing the satire - which stars Steve Buscemi, Michael Palin and Jason Isaacs - as a “planned provocation” targeting the country's communists, Pozhigailo said the culture ministry would ban the film if officials decided it had the potential to “incite hatred.”
This isn't the first time Russian officials have criticised the new film.
A spokesman for Russia's Communist party said the film was 'revolting“ while pro-Kremlin newspaper Vzglyad backed hte motion to ban the film, describing it as “a nasty send-up by outsiders who know nothing of our history
Show all 15 1 /15Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones
Plot: In this darkly comic drama, a mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder, when they fail to catch the culprit.
Twentieth Century Fox
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Call Me By Your Name Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg
Plot: A young man named Elio, living in Italy during the 1980s, meets Oliver, an academic who has come to stay at his parents' villa, and a passionate relationship develops between them, as they bond over their sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the landscape.
Sony Pictures Classics
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Dunkirk Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance
Plot: In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Get Out Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener
Plot: This horror drama follows a young interracial couple who visit the girl's parents only for her boyfriend to uncover a conspiracy whereby young black adults are being captured.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Downsizing Director: Alexander Payne
Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Waltz, Alec Baldwin
Plot: A man and his wife join a community of miniaturized people after undergoing a process to shrink themselves.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Florida Project Director: Sean Baker
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince
Plot: A precocious 6-year-old and her friends are homeless, living in extended-stay motels, but their summer is still filled with childhood wonder and adventure.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Post Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson
Plot: Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham of The Washington Post challenge the federal government for the right to publish classified information in 1971.
Twentieth Century Fox
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Shape of Water Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones
Plot: In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda discover a secret classified experiment.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Molly's Game Director: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
Plot: The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
Courtesy of STXfilms
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Big Sick Director: Michael Showalter
Cast: Kumail Najiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
Plot: Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Mudbound Director: Dee Rees
Cast: Jason Clarke, Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Garrett Hedlund
Plot: This Netflix film follows two who men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 The Disaster Artist Director: James Franco
Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Zac Efron
Plot: A big screen re-enactment of the making of Tommy Wiseau's cult film The Room deemed 'the worst movie of all time.'
Getty
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Phantom Thread Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps
Plot: Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Lady Bird Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Beanie Feldstein, Tracy Letts
Plot: Gerwig's deirectorial debut is a coming-of-age story about a high-school senior (Ronan) and her turbulent relationship with her mother (Metcalf).
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018 Darkest Hour Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn
Plot: The film follows Winston Churchill's early days as Prime Minister while Hitler closes in on Britain during World War II.
Buscemi appears in the film, which is based on a graphic novel of the same name, as Nikita Khrushchev who must take over as Russia's leader when Stalin dies from a stroke in 1953.
The film, which was screened at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) earlier this month, has been receiving overwhelming praise with a series of five-star reviews.
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