The HRC complained to the Oscar award organizing committee and UNESCO about the violation of children's rights in the creation and distribution of the film "Mr. Nobody against Putin," filmed by a school teacher in Karabash and which became an Oscar laureate.
The Human Rights Council (HRC) under the President of Russia complained about the violation of the rights of minors by the creators of the documentary film "Mr. Nobody against Putin," which received the American Oscar award. Corresponding appeals were sent to the Oscar organizing committee and to the Secretary-General of UNESCO, Khaled Al-Anani, the HRC reported on Telegram on Wednesday, March 18.
Alleged Violations of Children's Rights
The appeal from the HRC's permanent commission on international cooperation in the field of human rights states that the video materials used in the film were shot in a Russian educational institution by its employee for the purpose of "use within the educational process" and contained images of children. Subsequently, they were transferred to third parties for commercial purposes and received widespread international distribution, the document states.
The video materials were used without the consent of the parents of these children and "without taking into account the limited nature of the use of such materials, originally filmed in an educational environment," the HRC stated. The authors of the appeal believe that such actions violate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and "generally accepted principles of ethical treatment of materials containing images of minors."
In Russia, the Oscar organizing committee and UNESCO are called to conduct an investigation
HRC members also noted the appeal to the competent authorities in Russia from the parents and legal representatives of the children who participated in Pavel Talankin's film. They urged the Oscar organizing committee and UNESCO to investigate the observance of children's rights in the production and distribution of the film.
If violations are established, it is necessary to "consider the issue of compliance of this work with the ethical and legal standards applied by the Academy in awarding," the HRC believes. "The protection of children's rights is a universal value recognized by international law and cannot depend on political or other circumstances," the appeal states.
Documentary film about the indoctrination of children in Russia
The co-author of the documentary film "Mr. Nobody against Putin" about military propaganda in Russian schools is former school teacher Pavel Talankin. The film is based on video recordings he made in one of the schools in the city of Karabash in the Chelyabinsk region since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Talankin's duties included filming events such as line-ups, competitions, and open lessons. In the summer of 2024, Talankin left the country with the footage shot over two years, after which he edited the work together with American director David Borenstein.
On March 15, the film received the Oscar award from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the category of "Best Documentary Feature." "For four years, we have been looking at the starry sky and making the most important wish. A very important wish. But there are countries where instead of stars, bombs fall from the sky and drones fly. In the name of our future, in the name of all our children, let’s stop all wars. Now," Talankin stated at the ceremony in Los Angeles. Russian state media did not report on the award.
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