News
Russia’s standing commission on international cooperation of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights has sent appeals to the organizers of the Academy Awards and to UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany over the use of footage of Russian schoolchildren in the documentary film Mr. Nobody Against Putin, which recently won the award for Best Documentary Feature.
The council said a significant portion of the video material was filmed at a Russian educational institution during school events and was “intended for internal use.” The recordings were later passed to third parties and used in the production of the film, which has received wide international distribution.
According to the commission, images of children were used without the consent of their parents or legal guardians, which it said contradicts international norms protecting children’s rights. The appeal refers to provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the right to privacy and the principle that the interests of minors should take priority.
The council asked for a review of whether children’s rights were respected during the production and distribution of the film and whether the necessary consent had been obtained for the use of the images. It also noted that the parents of the schoolchildren had already appealed to Russian authorities to protect the children’s rights.
What is “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” about?
The documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin was directed by Pavel Talankin and David Borenstein. At the center of the story is Talankin himself, a schoolteacher and videographer from the town of Karabash in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region. Prior to the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Talankin already worked as the school’s videographer. After the invasion, he continued to film life inside the school, documenting the growing ideological push in the Russian educational system as mandatory “patriotic” lessons were introduced, signs of militarization appeared, and pressure on students and teachers increased.
The recordings were later taken out of Russia and used in the film, which chronicles the impact of Vladimir Putin’s policies on children. The documentary received international recognition, winning both the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and a BAFTA.