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A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school's transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarization. (NR, 90 min.)
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2026 Oscar® Winner for Best Documentary Feature — Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero—a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the transformation of his school and community, he struggles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower.
As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.
Directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pasha Talankin, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. Mr. Nobody Against Putin showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children. [Kino Lorber]
Starring: Pavel Talankin, Vladimir Putin
Director: David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin
Language: Russian
Genre: Documentary
"An effective look at one man’s resistance against President Vladimir V. Putin’s patriotic curriculum policy."
— Natalia Winkelman, The New York Times
"Remarkable an exemplary work of cinematic modernism, a reflexive film that turns its genesis into its subject and its moral essence."
— Richard Brody, The New Yorker
"Nothing short of an act of rebellion… demonstrates that resistance begins with individuals and is carried out at great, courageous risk."
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
"A cross between School of Rock and 1984, a surprisingly funny study of how authoritarian regimes break the spirit of all except the most unlikely."
— Helen Rumbelow, The Times
"A riveting exposé of state-mandated nationalism as well as the kind of patriotism needed to be willing to speak out in an attempt to better things for your town and your people."
— Jules Caldeira, Film Inquiry
"An endearing, infuriating, and despairing non-fiction portrait of a country’s final descent into oppressive authoritarianism, all of it shot covertly by one brave teacher, it’s a striking work of rebel cinema."
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
"Through the eyes of its delightfully brave, yet utterly relatable subject (also the de facto cinematographer), this terrifying, revelatory and poignant exposé offers an unseen human angle on an ongoing conflict."
— Carlos Aguilar, Variety
"In the wave of documentaries about the Ukraine War that have come out over the past two years, there hasn’t been one that’s offered what David Borenstein’s Mr. Nobody Against Putin does — and certainly not with such wit, verve, and insight: The view inside Russia. In the serious-as-a-heart-attack war documentary landscape, it is a unicorn."
— Christian Blauvelt, Indiewire
