Mr Nobody Against Putin

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]

On one occasion, mercenaries from the Wagner Group arrive at the school to give a lecture;^[9] on another, Talankin disrupts the flag-raising ceremony by playing the US national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" performed by Lady Gaga instead of the Russian anthem.^[7] In parallel, the people surrounding Talankin are revealed — his mother, who works as a librarian at the same school; Pavel Abdulmanov, a pro-Putin history teacher; a student named Masha, whose brother fights and later dies in the war; and former students who are drafted into the army.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

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.^[15]

Mr Nobody Against Putin 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 [cs]. The film was produced by Borenstein, Helle Faber for 'Made in Copenhagen' (Denmark), Radovan Síbrt, and Alžběta Karásková for PINK (Czech Republic).^[12] 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.^[16][17]

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. The film premiered in Florida on 29 March 2025 at the 18th Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa.^[18] In the United Kingdom, Mr Nobody first aired on BBC Four on 14 October 2025, as part of the Storyville strand:^[19] 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.^[20]

The film's production process became the subject of public debate, particularly regarding ethical considerations. Because much of the footage was recorded covertly in a Russian school, critics raised concerns that students and colleagues were filmed without informed consent, including minors who could not meaningfully agree to participate. Some observers questioned whether the use of such material exposed participants to potential risks, especially given the political sensitivity of the subject matter.^[31][32]

These concerns were echoed in media discussions and among Russian-speaking audiences abroad. According to Meduza, the documentary prompted disagreement within the emigre community, where some viewers praised the filmmaker's actions as courageous, while others criticized the project's ethics and questioned the author's motivations, describing him as potentially seeking recognition rather than solely documenting events.^[33] Some have argued that the film filters events in Russia through a distinctly Western lens, shaped for the documentary circuit. Additionally, others have pointed out that certain moments appear staged or overblown, presenting Mr. Talankin as a heroic figure fighting against the odds.^[31][33]

More broadly, coverage in international media highlighted the inherent tension between the film's investigative value and the ethical risks of undercover filming in a school environment, with the project described as raising difficult questions about the boundaries of documentary practice under authoritarian conditions.^[31][32]

• Conversations about Important Things
• List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
• List of Danish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
• List of Russian Academy Award winners and nominees