'Mr. Nobody Against Putin': Russian primary school teacher secretly films war propaganda entering school

[Reporter Xu Shiying/Comprehensive Report] The 2026 Oscar-winning documentary feature "Mr. Unknown Against Putin" uses rare first-hand images to reveal how Russian war propaganda infiltrates campuses. Primary school teacher and campus photographer Pavel Tarankin originally only recorded school life, but saw patriotic courses, military training and war slogans gradually replacing education, so he secretly photographed the changes in students, teachers and the town under the war.

Russian primary school teacher and campus photographer Pavel Tarankin risked his own life to take pictures on campus, which eventually became the revealing content of "Mr. Unknown Against Putin". (Provided by Jiaying)

"The Unknown Mr. Putin Against Putin" originated from an unexpected Internet solicitation. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a Russian content company solicited online "How did the so-called 'special military operations' change your work?" Pavel, who had already seen war propaganda enter the campus at that time. Tarankin was very angry about this, and responded to the message frankly saying that he was forced to become part of the propaganda system every day when he went to work, and he felt guilty and anxious because of it.

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This text later passed to the hands of American documentary director David Borenstein. The two began to communicate via email in March 2022, and gradually developed from strangers into a cross-border secret filming that lasted for more than two years. Since Pavel knew little English and David didn't know Russian, the two could only rely on translation tools to communicate at first, and later interpreters joined.

"The Unknown Mr. Against Putin" leaves behind not only a record of campus life, but also a testimony of an ordinary teacher's risk-taking efforts to preserve the truth in a high-pressure environment. (Provided by Jiaying)

At first, David regarded Pavel as his main subject and even arranged for photographers to go to a local elementary school to shoot. However, after receiving the material, he found that the first-person images captured by Pavel himself with a camera were more impactful, so he encouraged him to continue recording. As the war continues, Russia's laws and enforcement against treason, foreign agents, and anti-war speeches have become increasingly strict. If Pavel is found to have taken relevant images on campus and passed the materials to foreigners, he may face life imprisonment.

Therefore, during the two-and-a-half-year filming process, the team had to continuously upgrade security measures and establish a stricter communication and material transmission mechanism, including transmitting images through an encrypted FTP server and using encrypted communication to maintain contact. In the end, the film leaves behind not only a record of campus life, but also a testimony of an ordinary teacher taking risks to preserve the truth in a high-pressure environment.

David Borenstein (left), director of "Mr. Nobody Against Putin", will attend the premiere in Taiwan. (Provided by Jiaying)

When David Borenstein won the Oscar for Best Documentary, he said that when the team was sorting out the material, they saw "how people gradually lost their country in countless small acts of collusion", but also found that "even unknown people are more powerful than imagined." Pavel appealed in his acceptance speech: "In some countries, what streaks across the sky are not meteors, but bombs and drones. For the sake of our future and for the sake of all our children, please stop all wars immediately."

Pavel, known as "P" in the film, was originally a teacher loved by students in Russian primary schools. The office was once a place where children could feel free to be themselves. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, campuses were gradually taken over by war propaganda, with patriotic courses, military training and war slogans replacing the original education. Pavel picked up a camera and documented how children were indoctrinated into war ideas, how graduates were sent to the front lines, and how entire towns changed in fear and silence.

"Mr. Unknown Against Putin" was co-directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Tarankin. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025 and won the Special Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary Section. The following year, it won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The film will be released in Taiwan on October 2, and director David Borenstein will come to Taiwan to attend the premiere event in person on September 17.