Screening at Kai Cinema: "Mr. Nobody Against Putin"

Kai Art Center, Tallinn

Genre: documentary

Duration: 1h 30m

Denmark's candidate for their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. 

Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero—a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office.

After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the transformation of his school and community, he struggles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower. As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.

Directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pasha Talankin, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. ""Mr. Nobody Against Putin"" showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children.

Country: Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, 2025

Director: David Borenstein, Pavel Ilyich Talankin, Co-director Pavel Talankin

Cast: Pavel Talankin

Language: Russian

Subtitles: English

Distributor: Otaku MTÜ

Kai Art Center • Peetri tänav 12, 10415 Tallinn, Harju maakond, Estonia

Google Map of Peetri tänav 12, 10415 Tallinn, Harju maakond, Estonia

Kai kunstikeskus

+372 529 3139

info@kai.center

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