‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ Directors on the Risks and Rewards of Documenting the Militarization of Russia’s Schools
As Pavel “Pasha” Talankin, the co-director and subject of “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” walked into a Los Angeles cinema for a post-screening Q&A at Variety‘s Screening Series, the Russian schoolteacher-turned-documentarian was approached by an audience member.
“You’ve got balls,” the older man told Talankin, saluting him for the effort he made to chronicle the militarization of the school where he worked in the small town of Karabash and secretly turn it into a documentary.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t recording it just for myself. It was for the government. I was required to record it for the government so they can put it in their school logs. But as time went on, I realized that this is not just for them. The whole world should see what’s happening in the schools,” said Talankin in the sitdown with director David Borenstein and Variety’s Angelique Jackson.
“The kids were being told that Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are all brotherly countries, that they share folklore, fairy tales, and stories, but that Ukraine had taken a path of neo-Nazism and fascism and we’re supposed to save them,” he continued. “That’s when I realized that this is propaganda that is being told to the children at school and it’s unacceptable.”
The film, which Talankin co-directed with Borenstein, provides a vivid, front-line account of the ethical challenges Russian teachers faced as the government began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and schools transformed into recruitment stages for the war. As the school’s videographer, the teachers and students were accustomed to seeing Talankin behind the camera, but when the Russian government made filming propaganda efforts a daily part of his job, Talankin turned his profession into his protest.
Borenstein and Talankin connected via social media and soon became creative collaborators, with Borenstein editing the copious amounts of footage that Talankin would send him into a narrative. Borenstein would wake up to new clips every morning, received via an encrypted FTP server, which showcased the propagandistic teachings and military training forced upon the students at Talankin’s school.
“He sent me so much of this propaganda material. In actuality, it’s much more than a film. It’s a complete record of what’s happening right now in Russia in the education system,” said Borenstein. “If we did all of it, it would be a 100-hour film, so it was very difficult. It was important to find characters. He shot dozens and dozens of characters. We had to identify some of them, and it took a long time. It was almost like an archive film where you have the whole world at your fingertips and you have to take a deep dive into the material and spend a lot of time. It took two years going through all this material and finding what needed to be put in the film.”
Throughout those two years of production, making the film became increasingly risky, as the Russian government cracked down on any heresy against its nationalistic agenda. “We kept making this and as time went by working in Russia, it seems like there was a new law every few months that just further criminalized this production,” continued Borenstein. “When we first started, we thought, maybe it’s okay, but then there was a foreign agent law. Then there was a treason law and the next thing we knew, if Pasha were to get caught, his life would be over.”
Though Talankin preferred a minimal on-screen presence, hardly providing seven minutes of recorded interview responses for Borenstein to edit into the film, he filmed his mother working as the school’s librarian and discussing their family history. The film concludes with Talankin resigning from his job and fleeing Russia for Europe. He has not been back to his home country or seen his mother since.
“We’re still calling and texting each other, and she doesn’t like to talk about the movie because she associates it with me leaving,” said Talankin. “But I know that she’s very proud of me.”
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” has resonated with educators and general audiences worldwide. It made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and won a special jury prize for world cinema documentary. It is now Denmark’s candidate for the best international feature at the Academy Awards.
“You’ve got balls,” the older man told Talankin, saluting him for the effort he made to chronicle the militarization of the school where he worked in the small town of Karabash and secretly turn it into a documentary.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t recording it just for myself. It was for the government. I was required to record it for the government so they can put it in their school logs. But as time went on, I realized that this is not just for them. The whole world should see what’s happening in the schools,” said Talankin in the sitdown with director David Borenstein and Variety’s Angelique Jackson.
“The kids were being told that Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are all brotherly countries, that they share folklore, fairy tales, and stories, but that Ukraine had taken a path of neo-Nazism and fascism and we’re supposed to save them,” he continued. “That’s when I realized that this is propaganda that is being told to the children at school and it’s unacceptable.”
The film, which Talankin co-directed with Borenstein, provides a vivid, front-line account of the ethical challenges Russian teachers faced as the government began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and schools transformed into recruitment stages for the war. As the school’s videographer, the teachers and students were accustomed to seeing Talankin behind the camera, but when the Russian government made filming propaganda efforts a daily part of his job, Talankin turned his profession into his protest.
Borenstein and Talankin connected via social media and soon became creative collaborators, with Borenstein editing the copious amounts of footage that Talankin would send him into a narrative. Borenstein would wake up to new clips every morning, received via an encrypted FTP server, which showcased the propagandistic teachings and military training forced upon the students at Talankin’s school.
“He sent me so much of this propaganda material. In actuality, it’s much more than a film. It’s a complete record of what’s happening right now in Russia in the education system,” said Borenstein. “If we did all of it, it would be a 100-hour film, so it was very difficult. It was important to find characters. He shot dozens and dozens of characters. We had to identify some of them, and it took a long time. It was almost like an archive film where you have the whole world at your fingertips and you have to take a deep dive into the material and spend a lot of time. It took two years going through all this material and finding what needed to be put in the film.”
Throughout those two years of production, making the film became increasingly risky, as the Russian government cracked down on any heresy against its nationalistic agenda. “We kept making this and as time went by working in Russia, it seems like there was a new law every few months that just further criminalized this production,” continued Borenstein. “When we first started, we thought, maybe it’s okay, but then there was a foreign agent law. Then there was a treason law and the next thing we knew, if Pasha were to get caught, his life would be over.”
Though Talankin preferred a minimal on-screen presence, hardly providing seven minutes of recorded interview responses for Borenstein to edit into the film, he filmed his mother working as the school’s librarian and discussing their family history. The film concludes with Talankin resigning from his job and fleeing Russia for Europe. He has not been back to his home country or seen his mother since.
“We’re still calling and texting each other, and she doesn’t like to talk about the movie because she associates it with me leaving,” said Talankin. “But I know that she’s very proud of me.”
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” has resonated with educators and general audiences worldwide. It made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and won a special jury prize for world cinema documentary. It is now Denmark’s candidate for the best international feature at the Academy Awards.