From the Urals to Hollywood
Pavel Talankin had never left Russia before he went into exile in the summer of 2024, departing his home in the Ural Mountains for his safety after quietly opposing President Putin's war efforts.
In under two years, Pasha, as he is known, evolved from an events coordinator and videographer at a primary school in Karabash—one of the most polluted places on earth—into an Oscar nominee.
The director has already taken selfies with Hollywood’s elite, including two of this year’s best actor nominees, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ethan Hawke.
"They are just normal people like the rest of us,"he said during a meeting in Los Angeles before the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday.
However, Pasha is far from ordinary; an unlikely hero whose film, Mr Nobody Against Putin, made in collaboration with Copenhagen-based American director David Borenstein, won best documentary at the BAFTA Film Awards in February.
The self-styled "Mr Nobody" has become a recognized figure in Hollywood, with hopes of securing an Oscar next.
A Birthday and a Question About Oscars
We met on Pasha’s 35th birthday. He arrived for the interview carrying shiny pink balloons shaped as a '3' and a '5', which he said he had purchased that morning.
His main concern regarding the Oscars was about the weight of the statuette.
"How much does it weigh? This question interests me a lot, because in all the shops they sell plastic Chinese fakes and they weigh nothing, so I'm curious how much it weighs."
The answer, for those interested, is 3.86 kilograms. This question exemplifies his sardonic humor, always delivered with a straight face.
Humor Amidst Hardship
Despite the film’s serious subject, comedy is central.
"Pasha obviously has used humour as a way of coping with what was happening around him,"Borenstein explained.
"And of course, humour has always been a huge part of living under the daily realities of authoritarianism. Soviet jokes are some of the best jokes. It's just how people cope."
The Documentary’s Story
The BBC documentary chronicles events following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and how Pasha was reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda apparatus.
His role at the school was to film student music videos, performances, and graduation ceremonies.
However, the war brought directives from the Kremlin, increasing patriotism, militarization, and duty within school life, including flag-raising ceremonies.
Pasha was instructed to film and provide evidence to authorities that the school was complying with the new curriculum.
"He realised it made him 'a kind of monitor of the teachers, to make them understand, 'Look, I'm here, I've got a camera, I'm filming, so you will say everything you are supposed to say, you will speak as instructed, you will use the material provided by the government.'"
He rebelled, risking his safety, choosing to become a filmmaking whistleblower. He began sending footage to Borenstein via encrypted servers—a decision made instantly but with lasting consequences.
"In those seconds I was driven by rage,"he recalled.
"I didn't care really. I thought, let anyone do it, let anyone show this film, let anyone edit it. The main thing is that it exists, to show what is happening."
Borenstein added:
"We thought it was so important for the world to see that Putin obviously has no intention of stopping with just Ukraine... he's telling the children of Russia every single day that you need to prepare for a future of warfare and Empire."
Scenes of Resistance and Propaganda
Pasha recorded Wagner mercenary soldiers at the school demonstrating how to identify mines and handle weapons, as well as teachers lecturing students about the "denazification" of Ukraine.
The film includes stories of former students dying on the battlefield and a mother grieving at her son’s graveside. While it was too dangerous for Talankin to film the funeral, he captured her emotional audio.
We also witness his personal acts of defiance.
Known as a prankster, he altered pro-war Z symbols on school windows into X's and removed the school's Russian flag while playing Lady Gaga's rendition of the US National Anthem.
He stood against the regime but refuses to label himself brave.
"No,"he said,
"it's just normal."
Borenstein disagrees:
"I would describe him as someone that is very brave, someone that feels emotions very, very strongly, someone that is really, really concerned about truth and someone who really, really, really loves his birthday."
Security Concerns and Exile
For the filmmakers outside Russia, safeguarding Pasha and others featured in the film from retaliation was paramount.
"We had a long list of security protocols,"Borenstein said,
"and we were hearing from people who really gave us a dire assessment of the risks in Russia.
We were reading news articles about school teachers, about people in Russia who had gotten sentenced to huge prison sentences, not for working with foreigners, not for making an undercover film, simply for desecrating the Russian flag, which is one little small thing he did in the film."
"We were scared. He wasn't scared."
Eventually, when Pasha noticed a police car outside his apartment and feared for his life, he decided to flee.
In the film, a Russian-speaking producer advises him:
"Before you cross the border, you must delete our secure messaging app.
You need to be very careful about how you take your footage past border control. Just be calm. You have a return ticket. They'll think you are returning in seven days. Just believe in yourself. I think what you've done is going to make a big impact."
He left his homeland—and his mother—and now resides in an undisclosed location in Europe. He believes this exile is temporary.
"When the regime has fallen, I am planning to return and be useful."
Impact and Legacy
Currently, he is focused on ensuring the film reaches a wide audience. He knows people in Karabash have already viewed it.
When the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year, Borenstein said someone recorded it digitally and shared it throughout the town.
During production, Talankin noted that nearly 200,000 teachers resigned rather than participate in a system indoctrinating children.
"I hope Mr Nobody Against Putin will show Russians who think similarly to me that they are not alone."
On the day of our meeting, while walking along Santa Monica Pier in the sunshine, the shadow of war remained with him. He shared news he had learned hours earlier.
"Today I found out one of my students died."
Nineteen-year-old Nikita was killed in Ukraine, he said.
"I know him. He is a kind guy and he would never have gone without the propaganda."
This somber revelation marked the end of our conversation.
Should Mr Nobody Against Putin win the Oscar, his acceptance speech will be written by his former students, who are already preparing it.
"If we win, it's going to be their speech."
Storyville: Mr Nobody Against Putin is available on BBC .
