MOSCOW — Russia’s Culture Ministry banned a satirical film about Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s death from movie theatres Tuesday following criticism from communists and others that the British-French production made a mockery of Russia’s history. The Culture Ministry declared it was rescinding the permit that would have allowed Scottish writer-director Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin to be shown in Russian theatres. The film premiered in Britain in October and was scheduled to open in Russia Thursday. The ban came after some Russian lawmakers and other public figures watched the movie and urged the ministry to keep it out of from theatres. Many Russians have been dismayed in recent years by government-sponsored school textbooks that painted Stalin in a largely positive light.

Source: thestar January 23, 2018 21:22 UTC