Gibsons – Monday, October 5, 7:30 pm
Sechelt – Thursday, October 8, 2:00 pm
Russia 2025, 90 min, Documentary
Directors: David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin
Russian with English subtitles
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, President Putin undertakes a series of extreme measures to control not only the media but also what is being taught to children in Russian schools. Pavel “Pasha” Talankin is an event coordinator and videographer in the school he earlier attended in the town of Karabash, known as the most toxic place on earth due to the town’s copper smelter. As the school curriculum becomes more autocratic—children are made to march in lockstep, wave flags, and recite government propaganda—Pasha becomes more and more troubled and boldly begins to video some of the proceedings.
As a teacher, he is saddened by the events unfolding at the school and fearful for the lives of the students and staff. He reaches out to filmmakers in Europe, who eventually help him defect and smuggle his work out of Russia. This compelling film won the 2025 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.