A Russian art house cinema defied a government ban on Thursday to screen satirical film The Death of Stalin to a packed audience that included at least two people who said they witnessed the Soviet dictator’s funeral six decades ago.
The fact that I didn’t have a childhood, that I didn’t have a youth at all, that’s Stalin’s fault.”
The film, the work of Scottish director Armando Iannucci, portrays back-stabbing and infighting among the dictator’s closest allies, as they vie for power immediately after his death.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, running for re-election in March, has called Stalin “a complex figure” and said attempts to demonise him were a ploy to attack Russia.