The Czech co-production Mr Nobody Against Putin won the BAFTA for best documentary on Sunday night, marking a major international milestone for a film that has already drawn global attention for its inside look at Russia’s wartime education system.
The award was presented at the 79th British Academy Film Awards in London, where the film prevailed in a competitive documentary field. The win positions the film strongly ahead of next month’s Academy Awards, where it is also nominated.
Directed by Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin and American documentarian David Borenstein, and produced by Denmark’s Made in Copenhagen in collaboration with Prague-based PINK Productions, the film documents how state propaganda reshaped daily life at a school in the Russian Urals following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
A Czech co-production on the global stage
The BAFTA victory places Mr Nobody Against Putin among the most visible Czech-backed documentary projects in recent years. While the film is an international collaboration, Czech producers played a key role in bringing Talankin’s footage to the screen, underscoring the country’s growing footprint in politically urgent nonfiction cinema.
Mr Nobody Against Putin triumphed over four other nominees in the BAFTA documentary category. In remarks reported by the BBC, Borenstein praised Talankin’s courage in smuggling the footage out of Russia, noting that just two years ago he had been working as a schoolteacher, thanking him for the risks taken to ensure the material reached international audiences. Borenstein added that “we need more Mr. Nobodies.”
Talankin had worked as a videographer and event coordinator at Karabash Primary School No. 1, giving him unusual access to classrooms and school events. Initially tasked with documenting official activities, he turned his camera toward the rapid militarization of the curriculum.
The Prague Reporter called Mr Nobody Against Putin “an urgent and invaluable document of life inside contemporary Russia” in its 2025 review.
The film shows teachers required to recite pro-war messaging, children under 10 participating in military drills, and students trained in weapons handling. It also captures the human toll of the conflict, including former students sent to the front lines. Talankin’s decision to record and ultimately export this footage placed him at personal risk.
The BAFTA recognition highlights not only the film’s political resonance but also the strength of its production network, including Czech partners who helped shape the material into a feature-length documentary after it left Russia.
Awards momentum and Czech documentary context
The BAFTAs are widely seen as a bellwether for the Oscars, alongside the Golden Globes. This year’s ceremony also honored Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another as best film, while actors including Robert Aramayo and Jessie Buckley took performance prizes. Against that high-profile backdrop, Mr Nobody Against Putin stood out in the documentary field.
The win continues a period of international visibility for Czech documentary co-productions. Over the weekend, the Czech-Slovak film If Pigeons Turned to Gold, directed by Pepa Lubojacki, won best documentary at the Berlin International Film Festival. Czech documentary filmmaking has previously achieved European recognition, notably with Helena Třeštíková’s René, which won the European Film Award in 2008.
For Czech producers, the BAFTA win reinforces the country’s role as a hub for international documentary collaboration. Prague-based companies have increasingly partnered on projects tackling global political and social issues, leveraging local production expertise and funding structures.
With the Academy Awards set to take place in three weeks, Mr Nobody Against Putin now enters the final stretch of the awards season with added momentum. Whether it converts that recognition into an Oscar remains to be seen. Regardless of the outcome, its BAFTA victory marks a significant achievement for its filmmakers and for Czech co-production on the international documentary stage.
