Did you know that Henry David Thoreau once went to jail for refusing to pay taxes in protest of the Mexican-American War?
There’s a famous story—perhaps a myth—about Ralph Waldo Emerson visiting him in jail and asking, “Henry, why are you here?”
To which Thoreau replied, “Why aren’t you?”
Civil disobedience has always carried that same moral challenge. From Thoreau to Gandhi to Martin Luther King Jr., individuals have wrestled with what to do when their government engages in actions they believe are morally and ethically wrong.
Few, however, have confronted that dilemma with the humor, daring, and sheer audacity of Pavel “Pasha” Talankin—the unlikely hero at the center of the extraordinary documentary MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN.
Winner of a Special Jury Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and now nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature, the film tells the story of Pasha, a school videographer in a small Russian mining town who quietly opposes Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
An open advocate for a more democratic Russia, Pasha does not support the war.
Yet his job suddenly requires him to film classroom lessons promoting state propaganda justifying the invasion.
He is on the verge of resigning.
Then, in a twist worthy of a John le Carré thriller, Pasha connects with Denmark-based filmmaker David Borenstein. Together, they devise a bold plan: use the very footage Pasha is required to submit to authorities as a window into the machinery of propaganda—revealing to the world what Putin’s government is doing from the inside.
The result is surreal. The tone shifts from humor to suspense to genuine danger in an instant. And it makes for one of the year’s most unforgettable films. Join us for our conversation with co-directors David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, and Executive Producer Robin Hessman
This episode is part of our Oscar Spotlight Series, featuring in-depth conversations with this year’s Academy Award–nominated Documentary Feature filmmakers. On INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.
