Russia says Oscar-winning documentary violated children’s privacy
Mar 21st 2026 · World
A Russian presidential advisory council says parents complained that footage of minors in the Oscar-winning documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin was used without consent and has lodged formal complaints with the US Academy and UNESCO.
- The film Mr. Nobody Against Putin, about daily life in a Karabash school, won an Academy Award after premiering at Sundance 2025.
- The Russian Human Rights Council says parents allege former school videographer Pavel Talankin and US filmmaker David Borenstein used footage of children without parental consent.
- Officials say Talankin took the school video archive with him when he left Russia in 2024.
- The council argues the film breached the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and has filed complaints with the US Motion Picture Academy and UNESCO.
- The documentary also won several other awards, including a BAFTA.