Former teacher brands Oscar-winning filmmaker’s anti-war documentary as treason

Pavel Talankin, a Russian filmmaker who fled the country in 2024, helped create the Oscar-nominated documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” which chronicles a school in the Chelyabinsk region that began teaching pro-war narratives after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The film, banned by Russian officials, portrays teachers using history classes and “patriotic hours” to justify the conflict and foster nationalism. In a recent Vesti interview, Nina Zabugornova, described by the broadcaster as Talankin’s first teacher in Karabash, denounced him as a traitor for turning his back on his motherland.

She reflected that she might have failed to give him proper lessons in his youth. Russia designated Talankin a foreign agent in March, subjecting him to extensive bureaucratic obligations. Talankin argues the documentary serves as a historical record of how an entire generation was shaped by state propaganda.