Mr. Nobody Against Putin
“The incredible story of an ordinary Russian teacher who exposed Putin's propaganda machine.”
As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia’s hinterlands are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening in his own school.
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Cast
9 people
Pavel Talankin
Self
Vladimir Putin
Self (archive footage)
Also in
Putin: The New Tsar
The Case
David Borenstein
Writer / Director
Roman Abalin
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Lavrentiy Beria
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Also in
Velikoye proshchaniye
Viktor Abakumov
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Leon Trotsky
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Also in
Trotsky y México. Dos revoluciones del siglo XX
Stalin - Trotsky: A Battle to Death
Dmitry Medvedev
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Known for
Six Degrees of Celebration
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
David Borenstein Director · Jonas Struck Composer Michal Rataj Composer
Budget $800K · United States release January 21, 2026 · Produced in Denmark, Czechia, Germany, United Kingdom
Box office
Budget
$800,000
Production
Made in Copenhagen
Production
Pink Productions
Production
ZDF
Production
BBC Storyville
Production
Denmark · Czechia · Germany · United Kingdom
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Mr. Nobody mod Putin
Original language
Danish
Spoken on screen
English · Russian
Release dates
United States · January 25, 2025
Premiere · Sundance Film Festival
United States · January 21, 2026
Limited theatrical
United States
March 29, 2025 · Premiere · Gasparilla International Film Festival
April 4, 2025 · Premiere · Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
April 25, 2025 · Premiere · San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
June 14, 2025 · Premiere · DC/DOX Film Festival
June 26, 2025 · Premiere · Provincetown International Film Festival
November 11, 2025 · Premiere · For the Love of Docs
November 13, 2025 · Premiere · DOC NYC
January 3, 2026 · Premiere · Palm Springs International Film Festival
Australia
June 4, 2025 · Premiere · Sydney Film Festival
August 18, 2025 · Premiere · Melbourne International Film Festival
September 13, 2025 · Premiere · Darwin International Film Festival
February 19, 2026 · Theatrical
February 23, 2026 · Premiere · Perth Festival
March 2, 2026 · Digital
Belgium
March 27, 2025 · Premiere · Docville
Brazil
March 26, 2026 · Digital · Filmelier+
Colombia
October 15, 2026 · Theatrical
Czechia
March 12, 2025 · Premiere · One World Film Festival
November 6, 2025 · Theatrical
May 5, 2026 · TV · ČT2
Denmark
March 20, 2025 · Premiere · CPH:DOX
Estonia
November 7, 2025 · Premiere · Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
March 6, 2026 · Theatrical
France
December 13, 2025 · Premiere · Les Arcs Film Festival
January 7, 2026 · Theatrical
January 13, 2026 · Digital · Arte•tv
January 20, 2026 · TV · Arte
Germany
May 8, 2025 · Premiere · DOK.fest München
October 10, 2025 · Premiere · Filmfest Osnabrück
January 13, 2026 · Digital · Arte•tv
January 20, 2026 · TV · Arte
September 24, 2026 · Theatrical
Greece
March 8, 2025 · Premiere · Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
Hong Kong SAR China
July 27, 2026 · Premiere · EU-Asia Documentary Festival
Iceland
October 3, 2025 · Premiere · Reykjavik International Film Festival
Israel
May 24, 2025 · Premiere · DocAviv Film Festival
Italy
April 16, 2026 · Theatrical
Japan
January 13, 2026 · TV · Edited for television broadcast
October 3, 2026 · Theatrical
Latvia
March 1, 2026 · Premiere · Artdocfest/Riga
Mexico
May 29, 2025 · Premiere · Sundance Film Festival CDMX
Netherlands
March 23, 2025 · Premiere · Movies That Matter Festival
January 15, 2026 · Theatrical
Norway
March 18, 2025 · Premiere · Kosmorama Trondheim International Film Festival
November 24, 2025 · Digital · NRK TV
Poland
May 10, 2025 · Premiere · Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
May 20, 2025 · Digital · Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
July 27, 2025 · Premiere · Two Riversides Film and Art Festival
Romania
January 15, 2026 · Digital · Voyo
South Africa
June 20, 2025 · Premiere · Encounters International Documentary Festival
South Korea
September 11, 2025 · Premiere · DMZ International Documentary Film Festival
Spain
May 11, 2025 · Premiere · DocsBarcelona International Documentary Film Festival
Sweden
January 31, 2025 · Premiere · Göteborg Film Festival
June 6, 2025 · Theatrical
November 27, 2025 · Premiere · Umeå Filmfestival
Switzerland
October 1, 2025 · Premiere · Zurich Film Festival
November 19, 2025 · Digital · Play RTS
November 19, 2025 · TV · RTS Un
Taiwan
September 19, 2026 · Premiere · Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival
October 2, 2026 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
June 19, 2025 · Premiere · Sheffield DocFest
October 14, 2025 · TV · BBC Four
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Some details come from TheTVDB.