Oscar for best documentary, 2026
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival 2025
Flêche de cristal, Festival des Arcs, 2025
Plot synopsis
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pavel, a Russian primary school teacher, is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Horrified by the transformation of his school and community, he starts to document revealing footage of Putin’s regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war.