OSCAR 2026
‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ Wins Historic Oscar Gold
By Danish Film Institute
16. March 2026 Redaktionen
(Updated 17 March)
OSCAR. David Borenstein’s ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ took home the Oscar statuette for Best Documentary Feature on Sunday night when the American film awards took place in Los Angeles. It is the first time a Danish documentary has won an Oscar.
It was selected as the Danish Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film, and went on to be nominated for — and win — Best Documentary at the 79th British Academy Film Awards and Best Documentary Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
Gold went to Helle Faber and Made in Copenhagen’s ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’, directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pasha Talankin.

David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber og Alzbeta Karaskova. Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
Tine Fischer, CEO of the Danish Film Institute, says:
“The fact that an independent producer like Made in Copenhagen can go all the way and win against the world’s biggest streaming giants speaks to the strength and quality of Danish film. The Oscar statuette for ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ also underlines why independent documentary filmmaking is so crucial right now. Huge congratulations to the entire team behind the film. Danish film is in a very special position, with an Oscar winner and totally six Oscar nominations. The fact that many international players look to Denmark when assembling their teams highlights the extraordinary artistic level among Danish film professionals.”
About Mr. Nobody Against Putin
In ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ we follow Pasha, an ordinary teacher in a small Russian town. He is known as the school’s fun, creative, and unconventional adult – someone the students love.
But everyday life at the school changes drastically when Putin introduces propaganda and war instruction into the curriculum following his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Instead of teaching students to think independently, Pasha is now forced to film and document children reciting meaningless texts and teachers reading incomprehensible slogans to their classes.
In protest – and in secret – Pasha begins smuggling the videos out of Russia. At the same time, he starts filming how propaganda and the war affect the society he lives in.
Pasha’s footage reveals the transformation of Russian society, Putin’s iron grip on the population, and the heartbreaking moments when former students are sent to the front lines. Through Pasha’s personal story, audiences gain a rare, intimate, and contemporary insight into Putin’s Russia. The film is a reminder that courage can take many forms when everything seems lost.
‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ is directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pasha Talankin. Helle Faber produced the film for Made in Copenhagen with support from the Danish Film Institute. The film is co-produced by Czech company Pink, represented by Alzbeta Karaskova and Radovan Sibrt.
International sales are handled by DR Sales, and PR is handled by Line Bilenberg.
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier’s Norwegian-Danish film ‘Sentimental Value’ won an Oscars for Best International Feature Film.
Danish editor Olivier Bugge Coutté edited the film. The film includes Danish talent in several key roles: Kasper Tuxen served as cinematographer, Esben Syberg was the VFX supervisor, and Sisse Graum co-produced for Zentropa.
The film is supported by the Danish Film Institute.
Short Films
There were also Danish contributors behind the film that won the award for Best Short Documentary at this year’s Oscars. 'All the Empty Rooms', directed by Joshua Seftel, has Sigrid Dyekjær as executive producer, and Peter Albrechtsen was involved in the film’s sound design.
Kim Magnusson is executive producer on 'Two People Exchanging Saliva', which won the award for Best Short Film. It is a French-language drama starring Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the Best Actress award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival for her role in Ali Abbasi’s 'Holy Spider'.
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Oscars 2026 Winners: See the Full List Here
Big winners at the Oscars 2026 included One Battle After Another, with six Oscar victories, and Sinners, which followed its record-breaking number of nominations with four victories.
Best Picture
WINNER: One Battle After Another
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actress
WINNER: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Actor
WINNER: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best Director
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Best Original Song
WINNER: “Golden,” KPop Demon Hunters
“Dear Me,” Diane Warren: Relentless
“I Lied to You,” Sinners
“Sweet Dreams of Joy,” Viva Verdi!
“Train Dreams,” Train Dreams
Best International Feature
WINNER: Sentimental Value, Norway
The Secret Agent, Brazil
It Was Just an Accident, France
Sirāt, Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Frankenstein, Dan Laustsen
Marty Supreme, Darius Khondji
One Battle After Another, Michael Bauman
Train Dreams, Adolpho Veloso
Best Editing
WINNER: One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen
F1, Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value, Olivier Bugge Coutté
Sinners, Michael P. Shawver
Best Sound
WINNER: F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirāt
Best Original Score
WINNER: Sinners, Ludwig Göransson
Bugonia, Jerskin Fendrix
Frankenstein, Alexandre Desplat
Hamnet, Max Richter
One Battle After Another, Jonny Greenwood
Best Documentary Feature
WINNER: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
The Perfect Neighbor
Best Documentary Short
WINNER: All the Empty Rooms
Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness
Best Visual Effects
WINNER: Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Best Production Design
WINNER: Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Best Original Screenplay
WINNER: Sinners, written by Ryan Coogler
Blue Moon, written by Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident, written by Jafar Panahi; script collaborators: Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, and Mehdi Mahmoudian
Marty Supreme, written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value, written by Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: One Battle After Another, written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Bugonia, screenplay by Will Tracy
Frankenstein, written for the screen by Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet, screenplay by Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
Train Dreams, screenplay by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Best Supporting Actor
WINNER: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best Live-Action Short
TIE: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva
Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Best Casting
WINNER: One Battle After Another, Cassandra Kulukundis
Hamnet, Nina Gold
Marty Supreme, Jennifer Venditti
The Secret Agent, Gabriel Domingues
Sinners, Francine Maisler
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
WINNER: Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Best Costume Design
WINNER: Frankenstein, Kate Hawley
Avatar: Fire and Ash, Deborah L. Scott
Hamnet, Malgosia Turzanska
Marty Supreme, Miyako Bellizzi
Sinners, Ruth E. Carter
Best Animated Short
WINNER: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Butterfly
Forevergreen
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Best Animated Feature
WINNER: KPop Demon Hunters
Arco
Elio
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another