Karabash, with a population of about 10,000 people, is situated in Russia’s Ural Mountains and is one of the unhealthiest places to live on Earth—UNESCO once reported it the “most polluted town in the world.” Yet Pavel “Pasha” Talankin proudly calls it home, happily working as the event coordinator and videographer at the same primary school that he attended as a child, and where his mom remains the librarian. Each day, Pasha captures lively school events, building rapport with students. Everything rapidly changes in February 2022, when Russia invades Ukraine. The Kremlin issues a new federal “patriotic education” policy, demanding curriculum shifts that focus on supporting the war and require students to sing nationalist songs and poems while performing schoolwide drills. Pasha is directed to video his school’s efforts as proof of its compliance. As the situation becomes increasingly dire and the propaganda more prolific, Pasha continues to document everything he can until it becomes too dangerous to continue.  WM

Q&A following screening.