Pavlo Talankin, the main character and co-author of the film ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin,’ performed an unusual ritual in Paris — he blessed the Oscar statuette he received for this work. The ceremony was conducted by Archpriest Oleksiy Umynskyi, who was initially surprised by the request but ultimately agreed to the blessing.
This is reported by Finway
“Well, if they bless rockets and bombs, why can’t we bless an award for a good film?” the priest said.
It is known that Pavlo Talankin brought the Oscar for blessing in a regular tote bag. This event was reported by Russian journalist Andriy Loshak, who added that after the service, Talankin approached the priest with a request to bless the award.
About the Film ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’
On March 15, at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, the film ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ received a prestigious award. The film reveals the theme of war propaganda in Russia and is a joint work of Denmark and the Czech Republic under the direction of filmmaker David Borenstein. The plot is based on the life and activities of Pavlo Talankin from the city of Karabash in the Chelyabinsk region. He worked as a videographer at a school, filming propaganda lessons for reports to the management.
The film’s victory elicited an emotional reaction from Ukrainian commentator Oleksiy Hnatkovskyi, a well-known theater director and actor, who noted that he didn’t even know how to comment on this event.
Reactions and Consequences for the Filmmakers
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, stated that he had not seen the film and refrained from commenting on it. On March 27, the court in the Chelyabinsk region ruled to prohibit the screening of the film in Russia. The Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation also included Pavlo Talankin in the register of “foreign agents.”
It is worth noting that the film ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ has become a landmark example of documentary cinema that highlights issues of propaganda and censorship in Russia.