Pán Nikto proti Putinovi + Venuša v retrográde

A double feature about escaping reality—some quiet and personal, others bold and political.

The film Venus in Retrograde follows two sisters who escape from the real world through their phone screens, while their mother seeks solace in alcohol. An intimate look at family, adolescence, and the silence between loved ones who are both united and divided by memories. In the documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, a teacher in a small Russian town decides to risk everything when he begins secretly filming propaganda at his own school. A statement about courage, truth, and power that fears the camera.

Venus in Retrograde / Štefánia Lovasová / Slovakia 2024 / 15 min. – A video recorded by two sisters captures their escape from the real world via their phone, while their mother escapes from the same reality with the help of alcohol. Beautiful memories are interwoven with dramatic family situations.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin / David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin / Denmark, Czech Republic 2025 / 90 min. – After Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, elementary schools across the country are transformed into places of military propaganda and recruitment. One courageous teacher, confronted with the moral dilemma of working in a system built on lies and violence, decides to film what is really happening in his school.
Pasha lives in a small Russian town and is a popular teacher at the local school. With the start of the invasion of Ukraine, his job description changes completely. He is forced to organize activities in accordance with the new war curriculum and document them on camera. The demands on teachers are escalating, Pasha’s former students are leaving for the front, and the atmosphere in the town is thickening. Frustrated, Pasha decides to fight back in the only way he knows how. He begins filming not only state-mandated activities, but also everyday life in and outside of school, with the aim of showing the world the impact of war and authoritarian rule on the local community. The film Mr. Nobody vs. Putin offers a unique insight into the workings of Russian propaganda and tells the gripping story of a man who decides to risk everything in order not to betray his values.