Director Vladimir Bortko (79) has announced the filming of the historical-political drama "Stalin." State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Nina Ostanina told Gazeta.Ru that the image of Joseph Stalin is of great importance to the country, and Russians need a film about him. "I am deeply convinced that the image and name of Stalin are extremely significant for the majority of citizens of Russia. As is known, during the 'Name of Russia' contest, Stalin ranked, even according to official data, among the top three leaders. Stalin symbolizes justice, the necessary toughness, the ability to conduct a strong, purposeful, nationally oriented policy. And most importantly — the will to win. Therefore, it is natural that the image of the People's Generalissimo is in great demand among the masses, and his name is alive. And it is supported by various representatives of the population: workers, rural laborers, intelligentsia, and the army. A serious big film about Stalin is very much needed. And the more talented the person who will create this film, the better," she said. Recently, director Vladimir Bortko announced the start of filming the film "Stalin," in which the main role will be played by Igor Mirkurbanov. The film will tell the story of Joseph Stalin's life from the end of World War II until his death in 1953. According to Bortko, the authors want to "show not good or bad, but the truth." The announcement of the film coincided with the 70th anniversary of the denouncement of Stalin's cult of personality — on February 25, 1956, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev delivered a report "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" at the 20th Party Congress, which gained wide circulation and marked the beginning of a reevaluation of the actions of the Soviet leader. In a conversation with the publication Pod'yem, Bortko refused to comment on the choice of date for the announcement of the filming. "We are making not quite ordinary cinema. Over 30 years, so much has been said about Joseph Vissarionovich that it’s quite something. I won’t say he was nice and kind, but he was a man who built our country and whose legacy we are still 'finishing off.' We want to show not good or bad, but the truth," said director Vladimir Bortko before the start of filming. "And I am also very happy today because I am working with the film company Triiks Media. Why am I happy? Because this script lay dormant for fifteen years. And people were found who appreciated it and who started to make it. Thank you, this is a very important act." He also thanked all the artists and crew members involved in the project, noting that it has been exactly ten years since he last said the word 'motor' as a director. In turn, the general producer of Triiks Media, Sergey Shcheglov, who was present on set, noted the significance of the film "Stalin" and thanked the partners. "It is a great honor for us to work with such a master as Vladimir Vladimirovich Bortko. And it is a great honor that actors of such a high level, whom we know from many serious works, are filming in our project. Thank you very much to our partners from the online cinema KION, who supported this project," he said. Filming of the film is scheduled until mid-summer this year and will take place in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Leningrad region, as well as on the Black Sea coast. The general producers of the multi-part film "Stalin" are Inessa Yurchenko and Sergey Shcheglov. The cast also includes: Viktor Sukhorukov, Alexander Yatsko, Kristina Babushkina, Alexander Samoylenko, Pavel Chinarev, Alexander Semchev, Semyon Strugachev, Nikolai Shraiber, Karen Badalov, Vitaly Kischenko, Yulia Rutberg, Anna Kovalchuk, and other actors.