Pavel Talankin, an educational coordinator from a small town in the Urals, documented what was happening at his school after the outbreak of full-scale war with Ukraine. Officially, on behalf of the administration, he filmed “patriotic events”—assembly lines, meetings, and other events—for which the Ministry of Education required reports.
In the summer of 2024, Talankin left Russia, taking his footage with him. Using that footage, he collaborated with American documentary filmmaker David Borenstein to create the film *Mr. Nobody vs. Putin*, which explores the militarization of Russian schools and society and went on to win a BAFTA and an Oscar. It is available in 14 countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, and Ukraine.

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