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From Urals to Hollywood: An unlikely journey
Pavel Talankin, known as Pasha, spent his life in Karabash, a heavily polluted town in Russia's Ural Mountains, working as a school events coordinator and videographer. Until 2024, he had never left the country. Now, at 35, he is an Oscar nominee, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ethan Hawke ahead of this year's Academy Awards.
A film born from resistance
Talankin's documentary, Mr Nobody Against Putin, co-directed with American filmmaker David Borenstein, won Best Documentary at the BAFTA Film Awards in February. The film exposes how Russia's education system has been militarized since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with schools forced to promote patriotism and prepare children for war.
Talankin, tasked with filming school events for authorities, secretly documented the indoctrination-including Wagner mercenaries teaching students to handle weapons and teachers justifying the war under the guise of "denazifying" Ukraine. He smuggled the footage to Borenstein via encrypted servers, risking severe reprisals.
"In those seconds, I was driven by rage. I didn't care really. I thought, let anyone do it, let anyone show this film. The main thing is that it exists, to show what is happening."
Pavel Talankin
Humour as survival
Despite the gravity of the subject, the film blends dark comedy with its critique. Borenstein notes that humour has long been a coping mechanism under authoritarianism, citing Soviet-era jokes as a cultural touchstone. Talankin's sardonic wit shines through, even in small details-like his obsession with the weight of an Oscar statuette (3.86 kg, as he later learned).
"Pasha used humour to cope with what was happening around him," Borenstein said. "It's how people survive daily realities under such regimes."
Fleeing Russia, facing loss
Talankin's acts of defiance-like altering pro-war "Z" symbols on school windows or playing Lady Gaga's rendition of the U.S. national anthem during a flag-lowering ceremony-put him in danger. When police appeared outside his apartment, he fled Russia, leaving behind his mother and his homeland. He now lives in an undisclosed European location, though he insists his exile is temporary: "When the regime falls, I am planning to return and be useful."
The film's impact has already reached Karabash, where locals secretly recorded its Sundance premiere and shared it locally. Talankin estimates nearly 200,000 teachers quit rather than participate in the state's propaganda machine. "I hope it shows Russians who think like me that they are not alone," he said.
A bittersweet Oscar moment
During a walk along Santa Monica Pier, Talankin shared devastating news: one of his former students, 19-year-old Nikita, had been killed in Ukraine. "He was a kind guy. He would never have gone without the propaganda," Talankin said, his voice heavy with grief.
If Mr Nobody Against Putin wins an Oscar, Talankin plans to let his students write the acceptance speech. "If we win, it's going to be their speech," he said. For now, he remains focused on amplifying the film's message-while navigating the surreal whirlwind of Hollywood.
The documentary is available on BBC iPlayer.
