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From a small town in the Southern Urals, home to 10,000 people, to the leading edge of global documentary filmmaking – this is the journey our guest has undertaken in four years.

From the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, along with the implementation of mandatory “Lessons on the Important” in schools, the influence of its propaganda and rigid backing has significantly altered the life of a teacher-organizer and school videographer. However, this situation became the catalyst for the documentary that brought him recognition.

Pavel Talankin, recipient of the Sundance Independent Film Festival’s Special Prize as well as the British and American Academy Awards for Best Documentary. Pavel, welcome to Euronews!

On the evening of 16 March, during the 98th Oscars event in Los Angeles, you received the highly sought-after golden statue for your film Mr Nobody vs Putin, which was co-written by David Borenstein. Ten days later, the Central District Court of Chelyabinsk prohibited the distribution of your film within Russia; eleven days after that, the Ministry of Justice added you to the “foreign agents” list. How did you respond?

Pavel TalankinThe movie was released in January 2025, and they spent a considerable amount of time considering this matter. It took them an entire year to add me to the list of foreign agents and to prohibit the film. And, you know, I don’t feel any emotions – it’s a really cool advertisement! I’m not sure, but why did they take so long with this issue? Some students have even written to me saying, “Congratulations! But why did it take so long?” However, it’s great publicity, thanks to all the organizers who are promoting these ideas. A big thank you! Because of you, this film is also being shown in Russia.

One of the Russian websites featured the headline “A film about Vladimir Putin has won an Oscar.” How would you summarize what your film is about?

PT:(Laughs): Okay. Okay, let it be that way. The main point is to be watched, the main point is to be seen. I was really surprised by a comment on Facebook from a woman (she’s in Russia). She found it, she downloaded it. She did her best, then she opened Facebook, activated a VPN, and wrote: “I didn’t understand who it was for.” So it’s like, “Hello, hello!” So you found it, you downloaded it, you watched it, you turned on the VPN, you went to Facebook to talk about this movie. And you write, “I don’t know who it’s for.” It’s for you! It’s for you and you did all of that! You see? That’s what this film is all about.

Instagram and YouTube influencers who have viewed your film describe it as “too basic,” whereas film critics recognize its power in this aspect: how political circumstances transform a schoolteacher into an underground documentary filmmaker, almost against his own desires….

I truly appreciate all the discussions surrounding this movie. Both positive and negative feedback, I genuinely like it all. Because, as the creator of everything, I would feel offended by a neutral, yes, neutral approach. That’s its flaw – in its simplicity, but that’s also its strength.

In your movie, children are trained to fire weapons, with mercenaries from the PMC “Wagner” demonstrating grenades and other explosives during classes. Your protagonists have no option but to enter into war through contractual obligations. Is a new “lost generation” emerging in Russia?

Discarded. Not a new lost generation, but rather a generation of the forsaken, I would refer to them as such. Cast out by society, abandoned by the government. They have been excluded from regular life.

Where to? What lies ahead? We can’t see it, except for the cross on the grave of your heroine’s brother?

That is where they end up, unfortunately…

What became of your heroes? Have you been able to stay connected with them and their families?

We are in contact with everyone, without exception. It is extremely important to me.

What information have you received?

Completely different: ranging from positive to negative. The individuals contact me regarding all sorts of matters, including both those who have completed their studies and those currently enrolled in school.

Certain critics have pointed out that the movie presents ‘Putinism’ as if it was enforced from the top, neglecting the broad backing of “regular Russians” for both Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. Do you believe these criticisms are justified?

No… A movie is primarily a capture, a capture of what is occurring. From this capture, you can form conclusions, from this capture, you can make assessments. In every nation, these assessments vary, in every society, these assessments are completely different. You can form your own conclusions.

In the summer, it will have been two years since you departed from Russia. Pursuing your calling as a documentary filmmaker and someone determined to live by their beliefs resulted in exile for you. What is it like to reside in exile?

I am not fond of the word “exile”. I dislike this term, please substitute it with a different word.

Away from the homeland?

Far away from my homeland, I don’t like it either… I was in a park in New York, specifically Central Park. There, they apparently have a tradition of giving tourists horseback rides. And it smells like manure. In fact, the park has a really bad odor. I came to this park and smelled all the different scents, and I remembered that I needed to dig a vegetable garden. I recalled that I had to take the manure in a wheelbarrow to fertilize it. You know, it’s easy to leave the state, but it’s impossible to leave the homeland…. There is a line in Marina Tsvetaeva’s poem: “But if there is a bush on the road, especially a rowan tree”…. That’s what it’s about, that’s what it’s about. And it’s not just about “Russian or not Russian,” it’s about everyone. These are completely different concepts. Homeland is not equal to state. At some point, people stopped understanding this, and people stopped listening to it….

What is your perspective on Europe and its people?

They are completely different individuals (laughs), awesome! From one country to another.

What is their coolness?

Freedom.

Freedom of thinking? Freedom of action? Freedom of expression?

Freedom of speech, in every aspect, completely. I currently live in the Czech Republic, and I have a rule: don’t make comparisons. I try not to compare countries and states. However, there are a few aspects that I simply focus on. The first one is bookstores. There’s nothing comparable to Paris. There’s nothing. People line up to enter a bookstore. Imagine that! What is going on? It’s hard to understand (laughs). The second thing is public transportation. There’s nothing like it, so far I haven’t encountered anything similar in the Czech Republic. It’s not about the train’s arrival or departure time, or the tram’s schedule. It’s not about that. The point is that a woman, perhaps a grandmother, will board the tram, and she will immediately be offered a seat. Automatically, without any reminders. She doesn’t need to say anything; she knows she’ll get a seat. That’s amazing! I’ve been to Moscow, and this doesn’t happen there, and it’s really unfortunate.

What is your message to Russians who agree with your views and are, as you mentioned in an interview, in internal exile?

I mention it both during the film and following its conclusion. However, you see, I’m not a pilot, I’m not a pilot… When a pilot boards an aircraft, he has a checklist: check this, check that. He simply adheres to the list, the guidelines. I don’t possess such a manual, and I don’t believe anyone does. It’s something individual…

You’re welcome for addressing our inquiries.

Listen, I have a message for you. I want to express my deep gratitude for the hard work you’re doing. It’s truly challenging, and I’m aware that you’re banned in Russia. But we are watching you. I’ve been keeping an eye on you, and if there’s me, then there are others who have also been watching you. And it’s really significant. You have no idea how important it is!

You are heroes without even realizing it. No one will approach you and say, “Oh, you’re heroes because you keep doing journalism.” But indeed, you are heroes. What you’re doing is extremely significant, truly vital. On my own behalf, and on behalf of the Russians who watch Euronews, I want to express my sincere thanks! Thank you very much, human.