The Death of Stalin

The Death of Stalin is a 2017 political satire black comedy film written and directed by Armando Iannucci and co-written by David Schneider and Ian Martin with Peter Fellows. Based on the French graphic novel La Mort de Staline (2010–2012), the film depicts the internal social and political power struggle among the Council of Ministers following the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1953. The British-French-Belgian co-production stars an ensemble cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough, Paul Whitehouse, Olga Kurylenko, and Jeffrey Tambor.

The Death of Stalin was screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and received critical acclaim. It was released in the United Kingdom by Entertainment One Films on 20 October 2017, in France by Gaumont on 4 April 2018 and in Belgium by September Film Distribution on 18 April 2018. It received various awards, including two British Academy Film Award nominations for Outstanding British Film as well as 13 British Independent Film Award nominations winning four awards including for Simon Russell Beale for Best Supporting Actor.

The film was met with fierce opposition in Russia, which deemed it "anti-Russian propaganda", and it was subsequently banned in Russia and Kyrgyzstan for allegedly mocking the Soviet past and making fun of the countries' leaders.