March 16, 2026

Documentary "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" Wins Oscar

The documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, about how military propaganda infiltrates Russian schools, has won an Oscar. Pavel Talankin, an organizer-teacher and videographer from the Ural city of Karabash, made the film in collaboration with American director David Borenstein while working as a teacher in one of the schools. "For four years now, we have been looking at the starry sky and making the most important wish. But there are countries where not stars, but rockets and drones fall from the sky. For the sake of the future, for the sake of children, stop all wars now," said Pavel Talankin on stage in Hollywood while receiving the award. After the invasion began, disagreeing with the state propaganda being introduced, he decided to document "patriotic" lessons and military rhetoric. Talankin, on assignment from the school administration, filmed "patriotic" events, official morning assemblies, and ceremonies. He then left Russia with the filmed material and handed over the recordings to American filmmaker David Bronstein. The film previously won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award.