Description
Winner of the 2026 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Mr. Nobody Against Putin follows Pavel “Pasha” Talankin, a teacher and school videographer in the Russian mining town of Karabash, as his school is transformed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Talankin was also named to the 2026 TIME100 Next list of the world’s most influential rising stars. When state-mandated patriotic lessons, ceremonies and military propaganda enter the classroom, Talankin begins secretly documenting what he sees: students being taught to support the war, teachers navigating new political demands and young people confronting the prospect of military service.
Filmed from inside the school over two years, the documentary offers an intimate account of how authoritarianism enters everyday life and the difficult choices individuals face between compliance, accommodation and resistance. Following the screening, Talankin, the film’s co-director and cinematographer, will discuss his decision to document these changes, the ethical responsibilities of educators and filmmakers and the risks of bearing witness under an authoritarian state. The conversation will explore questions of propaganda, conscience, moral courage and the human consequences of war.
Co-sponsored by Russian Studies.