Fighting against any obstacle in order to report the news without fear of death or reprisal is an admirable sign of the world’s most courageous journalists. The late Russian war reporter, Anna Politkovskaya, is a prime example of such an innovative writer. Her story is chronicled in the new biographical movie, ‘Words of War.’

Politkovskaya‘s story, which serves as a reminder of the dangers that journalists face and the importance of protecting their right to report the truth, was adapted for the screen by Eric Poppen. BAFTA-nominated filmmaker, James Strong directed the feature. BAFTA TV Award-nominated actress, Maxine Peake portrayed Politkovskaya in the biopic.

‘Words of War’ chronicles Anna’s brave crusade as she fought to be an independent voice of truth for the Russian people, which put her own life in jeopardy. The American-Russian writer was a social commentator before she decided to devote her career to investigative journalism, despite the concerns of her husband, Sasha (Jason Isaacs), and their children, Vera (Naomi Battrick) and Ilya (Harry Lawtey), over her safety.

Anna dedicated the final years of her life to helping defend the Chechen community during the Second Chechen War. The journalist also exposed the corruption of Vladimir Putin, who was recently elected as Russia’s president at the time. She was murdered on his birthday in 2006, making her one of the first of his critics to be assassinated under his administration.

Decal is releasing the drama in theaters nationwide today, to coincide with World Press Freedom Day. Actor Oliver Maltman, who plays Nestor, one of Politkovskaya co-workers, in the feature, generously took the time to talk about starring in ‘Words of War.’ He participated in an exclusive interview on the red carpet before the movie’s World Premiere screening on Wednesday, April 30 at Village East by Angelika in New York City.

The conversation began with Maltman sharing details about his character in the film. “I play Nestor, who works at the Novaya Gazeta, the newspaper where Anna Politkovskaya works. He’s a colleague of hers who doesn’t really see eye-to-eye with her. He’s part of the regime in Russia. But in the end, I think he comes to respect that she’s putting herself out there and putting her life on the line,” he revealed

Maltan then delved into why he was drawn to play Nestor in the biopic. “It’s a very thoughtful script that’s dealing with a subject that’s very pressing and we all need to think about. The system is flooded with information now, so you have to ask, how do you get the truth when there’s so much misinformation out there?

“It’s so important now, more than ever, that we can access the truth. People are still out there, able to deliver it,” the actor pointed out.

Once Maltan signed on to play Nestor in ‘Words of War,’ he prepared to portray the journalist through research. “I looked into what it’s like to work at a newspaper. In fact, when we were in Latvia, where we filmed the movie, we visited the newspaper, which is still going, but is in exile. It moved from Moscow, where it was originally based. I didn’t get the chance to meet anyone who there. But they’re still working in the face of a very authoritarian country,” he shared.

Once he began shooting his scenes for the drama, the actor cherished the opportunity to work with his co-stars. He described his experience of working with the rest of the cast as being great and fantastic.

“Maxine is such a great actress. Everyone in the film is fantastic. I’m a big fan of Jason and Ciarán Hinds. So it was a great experience working with them, and a great place to shoot in Latvia, as well,” Maltman added.

Being able to attend the movie’s World Premiere in New York City is also an experience that Maltman cherished. “Who doesn’t want to premiere their film in New York? I’m so pleased that it’s going to finally be seen here, as well as across the U.S. and the world, as we shot it two years ago,” he concluded.