Mr Nobody Against Putin
2025 documentary film
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Mr Nobody Against Putin is a 2025 documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin. It follows Talankin in his job at a school in Karabash, a poor mining town near the Ural Mountains. While recording his students, Talankin also documents the Putin administration's moves to control public perception during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.[3]
- David Borenstein
- Helle Faber
- Alžběta Karásková
- Radovan Síbrt
- Lucie Kon
| Mr Nobody Against Putin | |
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International promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | David Borenstein |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Pavel Talankin |
| Narrated by | Pavel Talankin |
| Cinematography | Pavel Talankin |
| Edited by |
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| Music by |
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Production companies | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Languages | Russian English |
| Box office | $613,654[2] |
The film had its world premiere at the World Cinema Documentary section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 25 January, where it won the Special Jury Award. It was selected as the Danish Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film,[4] and went on to win Best Documentary at the 79th British Academy Film Awards and Best Documentary Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.[5] Reception was generally positive, but there were concerns – especially by Ukrainian viewers – about how the film portrayed opposition to Putin within Russia.[6]
Background
Mr Nobody Against Putin was shot over a period of two years by Pavel "Pasha" Talankin, the videographer and events coordinator at Karabash Primary School #1.[7] Talankin began seriously documenting his activities after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, when the government began requiring schools to hold regular "patriotic displays" and use state-written curriculum (such as Conversations about Important Things) to justify the invasion to students.[6] At the same time, the government instituted a requirement to upload footage of these displays to a state-run portal to prove compliance, allowing Talankin cover to film meetings, lessons, and visitors to the school without attracting suspicion.[8] He initially planned to resign in order to avoid supporting the Russian government; however, after getting in contact with director David Borenstein, he withdrew his resignation to keep gathering footage.[8]
Talankin secretly fled Russia during the summer of 2024, aided by his producers and Borenstein who worked to get him asylum in Europe, following evidence of police surveillance at his home, which appears in the film.[9]
Production
The film was directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin. The co-production partners are ZDF/Arte and the BBC, with additional support from the Danish Film Institute and the Czech Audiovisual Fund. The film was produced by David Borenstein; Helle Faber for 'Made in Copenhagen' (Denmark); and Radovan Síbrt, and Alžběta Karásková for PINK (Czech Republic). Post-production was done by Prague's UPP studio.
Lucie Kon is the BBC's commissioning editor and an executive producer, who oversaw the project and was crucial in providing the initial funding from the BBC. She also advised on the critical safety and security protocols required to get the sensitive undercover footage out of Russia. She facilitated the collaboration between the filmmakers and various international partners.[10][11]
Release and reception
Mr Nobody Against Putin premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025. Beginning in March 2025, it has been screened at numerous film festivals around the world. In the United Kingdom, Mr Nobody first aired on BBC Four on 14 October 2025, as part of the Storyville strand:[12] Kino Lorber acquired North American rights in January 2026, setting a release date for January 22 in select theaters and streaming on the Kino Film Collection.[13]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 41 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Chronicling one whistleblower's uphill struggle with clear-eyed insight, Mr Nobody Against Putin is a powerful documentary that vividly illustrates the resilience of everyday people against institutional forces."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]
IndieWire published a positive review, giving the film a grade of "A-" and praising the documentary for its undercover footage of life inside Russia.[7] The Guardian was similarly positive and praised Talankin for his bravery in capturing footage.[16] The Daily Beast and Variety also published positive reviews.[8][17] The A.V. Club was more critical, noting that the film's focus on a single school made it feel limited in scope and that several narrative threads were dropped as the film continued.[18] Owen Matthews, writing for The Independent, was also critical, stating that the Russian government did not take as much offence to token acts of protest as Mr Nobody appears to portray, while also noting that the film shows more of the widespread political apathy and compliance that contributes to Putin's totalitarian rule than defiance – a problem raised by many Ukrainian viewers.[6]
Awards and nominations
| Award / Film Festival | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 2026 | Best Documentary Feature | David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber, and Alžběta Karásková | Won | [19][20] |
| BAFTA | 2026 | Best Documentary | Won | [21][22] | |
| Robert Awards | 2026 | Best Editing | Nicolaj Monberg and Rebekka Lønqvist | Nominated | [23] |
| Best Documentary Feature | Helle Faber, David Borenstein, and Pavel Talankin | Won | |||
| Sundance Film Festival | 2025 | World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award | Mr Nobody Against Putin | Won | [24] |
| Ann Arbor Film Festival | 2025 | International Documentary Audience Award | Mr Nobody Against Putin | Won | 21 |
Russian government response
In March 2026, the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights appealed to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and UNESCO Secretary General Khaled Al-Anani regarding Mr. Nobody Against Putin. The council claimed that the film may violate the rights of minors because it includes footage of schoolchildren used without parental consent, and asked the Academy to review whether the film complies with child-protection standards.[25]
