The Japan Times - 'Hollywood story': Russia's Mr Nobody makes history with Oscar win

Netflix documentary "The Perfect Neighbour" had been widely tipped to win the top prize for best documentary feature.

But 35-year-old Talankin's film -- based on hours of footage he had smuggled out of Russia -- beat the odds and took home the statuette instead on Sunday.

Some said it was a story worthy of a Hollywood script.

After the start of the war in Ukraine, Talankin was instructed by school authorities to film patriotic lessons and morning drills at his secondary school in the Russian industrial town of Karabash.

Seeking to resist the intensity of pro-war propaganda at his school, Talankin eventually teamed up with US filmmaker David Borenstein and fled Russia in 2024, leaving behind his mother, brothers and sisters.

Vitaly Mansky, one of Russia's top documentary makers, called Mr Nobody a "strong" film, though its win still came as a surprise.

"I think that the figure of Pavel Talankin played a very big role in the Academy members' decision to vote for this film," Ukrainian-born Mansky told AFP. "It truly is a Hollywood story."

Mansky, a member of the Academy, said Talankin's sincerity won people over.

"They were moved to vote for the film," he added.

Speaking to AFP in the lead-up to the Oscars, Talankin said he and Borenstein were up against strong competitors.

"Netflix, they are giants," Talankin, who lives in Europe, said this month.

But he also joked he was ready for the fight.

"I've already dusted off the shelf for it," he told AFP in January, referring to the golden statuette that he ended up taking.

Film critic Anton Dolin said he was not surprised by the film's success.

"The film stands out, just like its protagonist," he said.

In his acceptance speech Talankin said Russia's war against Ukraine as well as other wars must stop.

"For four years we have looked at the sky for shooting stars to make a very important wish. But there are countries where instead of shooting stars, they have shooting bombs and shooting drones," he said in Russian.

"In the name of our future, in the name of all our children, stop all these wars. Now."

The Kremlin has repeatedly sidestepped questions from journalists about the documentary.

"I did not watch this film," Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Monday.

T.Shimizu--JT