Pavel Talankin: How a cage of Putinist propaganda was built on top of the Soviet cage in schools

Pavel Talankin, a former teacher from the small Ural town of Karabash and the author of the documentary "Mr. Nobody Against Putin", spoke in an interview with Estonian public broadcaster ERR about life abroad, the film's success and propaganda in Russian schools. The film, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, shows how state propaganda and militaristic events entered classrooms after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including lessons called "Conversations about important things". The story is told through an ordinary school in Karabash. Before the Oscar, the film had won several awards at international festivals, as well as a BAFTA.

Life in emigration

Talankin left Russia in 2024. He dislikes the word "exile" and calls himself a forced emigrant. The film was edited in Denmark, and he remains busy with festivals and lectures. He says fame has not changed him and that he does not put himself on a pedestal.

The road to the Oscar

The film is a Danish-Czech production. It was submitted both for Best International Feature on behalf of Denmark and in the documentary category. In the early voting rounds only members of the documentary branch vote, and at the final stage all Academy members do. His former students helped write his ceremony speech, but documentary winners get only 45 seconds, so it had to be condensed. According to Talankin, the students are not angry with him, and history teacher Abdulmanov told TV presenter Andrey Malakhov that he liked the film.

The propaganda "cage"

Russian authorities have designated Talankin a foreign agent. He argues that a new cage of Putinist propaganda has grown on top of the Soviet one, because the Soviet past was never seriously examined. Propaganda has affected some students and not others, and family plays a large role. Talankin says he wants to return to Russia when the regime falls, to lead people out of these cages one by one.