His film Mr. Nobody Against Putin is up for an Oscar — but its ethics are under scrutiny. Here’s what Pavel Talankin has to say.

On March 15, the Oscars will be held in Los Angeles. One of the nominees for Best Documentary Feature is “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a film about wartime propaganda targeting schoolchildren in the central Russian town of Karabash. The movie has already won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2025 and the 2026 BAFTA for Best Documentary. But the more awards the film collects, the more criticism its creators face — none more than Pavel Talankin, its cameraman, narrator, central character, and co-d...