“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” is a documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin. It follows Talankin in his job at a school in Karabash, a poor mining town near the Ural Mountains. While recording his students, Talankin also documents the Putin administration’s movements to control public perception during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. The film had its world premiere at the World Cinema Documentary section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award. It was selected as the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not shortlisted for a nomination. However, it was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category. Borenstein and Talankin were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in select theaters from Kino Lorber. Thank you, and enjoy!
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