Russia bans film for allegedly distorting Soviet history

The Russian Ministry of Culture has banned the screening of the film “Child 44”, set in the Soviet era during the Cold War, over accusations that the film distorts historical facts, according to film industry representatives.

The ministry claimed that the film distorted “historical facts and interpretations of events before, during and after World War II, as well as images and characters of Soviet citizens of the period,” according to the Interfax news agency.

“Child 44”, directed by Swede Daniel Espinosa starring British actor Tom Hardy along with Gary Oldman and Noomi Rapace, was due to be released on Friday.

Central Partnership, a Russian film distributor, contacted cinemas throughout the country to spread the ministry’s decision, TASS Russian news agency reported.

The official statement indicated that both the film distributor and ministry officials agreed that releasing the film of the eve of the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany would unacceptable.

The film adaptation of the first novel of the “Child 44 Trilogy” by British author Tom Rob Smith tells the story of a security officer in Stalin’s Soviet Union, and his investigations about a serial murderer responsible for the killing of 44 children at a time when crime was alleged not to exist.