Russian Teacher’s Documentary on War Propaganda Faces Hometown Backlash After Global Recognition

In a dramatic shift of international attention, the small Russian city of Karabash has transformed from a place known for environmental pollution to the focal point of an Oscar-nominated documentary. The film “Mr. Nobody against Putin,” directed by former school events coordinator Pavel Talankin, has already claimed a BAFTA award and stands poised for potential Oscar glory on March 15.

Yet in Karabash itself, a city of just 10,000 residents nestled in the Ural Mountains, many locals remain unaware of their newfound global fame. “Was this reported anywhere?” asked an elderly woman at a bus stop, surprised that even the local social media page “Podslushano Karabash” contained no mention of the documentary.

Talankin, who left Russia in 2024 with hard drives containing his footage, had initially hoped to keep the city’s identity anonymous. “Let’s not mention Karabash, because this situation is universal for any city in Russia,” he told his American co-director David Borenstein, who ultimately convinced him that the city’s unique characteristics added depth to the narrative.

Once infamous for its environmental challenges – with slag heaps from the Karabashmed copper plant dominating the landscape and rivers running an acidic orange – Karabash has seen improvements in recent years. “The city has really changed for the better,” a 19-year-old resident explained. “When I was a child it was much worse. Before, you couldn’t even walk normally from one building to another.”

Despite its industrial history, Karabash displays surprising vibrancy. Colorful wooden houses dot the hillsides, while newer developments funded by the Russian Copper Company include a sports complex, a church with ornate murals, and modern residential buildings. The city’s central road features billboards declaring “Our business is copper,” alongside murals celebrating Russian patriotism.

It was against this backdrop that Talankin, after graduating from the Chelyabinsk State Institute of Culture in 2013, returned to his hometown to work as a school events coordinator. Recognized as a “Leader of the 21st Century” in 2018, he developed a reputation for creative projects with students, including building a Minecraft version of Karabash that impressed even the city mayor.

“Active children who want to learn something, to work on something, would gather at his place,” recalled one former student. His office became an informal sanctuary with unexpected decorations, including both the “flag of democracy” used by anti-war Russians and international symbols. Students remember him fondly as someone who “showed by example that you should always fight to the end and go toward your goal.”

The turning point came in 2022, when the war in Ukraine transformed Russian education. Suddenly, Talankin was required to film “Conversations about Important Things” lessons about “denazification” – footage he would later incorporate into his documentary. When he felt the “ideology of militant patriotism” had reached a critical threshold, he considered resigning.

A chance connection with American filmmaker David Borenstein changed his trajectory. Talankin decided to remain at the school to continue gathering material, ultimately documenting 2.5 years of transformation. The footage captures not only classroom propaganda but also personal tragedies – former students and a classmate’s brother dying at the front.

Talankin emerges in the film not as a heroic dissident but as what film critic Anton Dolin calls “Mr. Nobody” – a naive school employee increasingly distanced from his community. This distance extended even to his mother, a school librarian portrayed as dismissive of her son’s concerns.

His departure from Russia was necessary for the film’s release, though it meant leaving behind his family and community. “The choice was complicated, of course, but my mom still has other children. She’s not all alone, there are five of us,” Talankin explained.

The film’s international recognition triggered strong reactions in Russian media. Local publication Moskovsky Komsomolets labeled the “quiet bespectacled” teacher a “Judas” while insinuating impropriety in his filming of students. Russian news agency Regnum claimed students were filmed secretly, describing Talankin as an “LGBT representative” – a loaded accusation in a country where the “international LGBT social movement” has been declared an “extremist organization.”

Yet students themselves offer a different perspective. “I knew I was being filmed, because we often had conversations on camera, and it was like a video blog,” said one film participant. “I like it, the film didn’t exaggerate anything, and it showed everything as it is.”

Today, Talankin lives in Czechia with no plans to return to teaching. When asked about his future after the festival circuit ends, he responded simply, “Never again. Incidentally, I noticed from photographs of the school that there are no curtains hanging in my office. That means they haven’t found a new events coordinator.”

Back in Karabash, life continues with surprising normalcy. The young men whose military send-offs Talankin captured have returned to civilian life. Students featured in the film have moved on to further education or jobs, reporting no political repercussions.

“After the film’s release, did you feel any anxiety in the city?” a flower shop clerk was asked. Her response encapsulated the cautious ambivalence that permeates Karabash: “Everyone is living as they always have… It’s his decision, his opinion. Since we’re human, we should respect any opinion, right? You understand, don’t you, why we’re not saying anything?”