Denmark Picks ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ Documentary for Oscar for Best International Feature Film Award

The documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin directed by David Borenstein and Pasha Talankin, has been selected as Denmark’s official Oscar entry in the International Feature Film Award category.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award, and its Danish premiere at CPH:DOX. It was released in Danish cinemas on March 22.

In Mr. Nobody Against Putin, we follow Pasha, an ordinary teacher in a small Russian town. He is known as the school’s funny, creative, and unconventional adult, loved by his students. But everyday life at the school changes drastically when Putin introduces propaganda and war lessons 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 complete secrecy – Pasha begins smuggling the videos out of Russia. At the same time, he starts filming how propaganda and 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.

Through Pasha’s personal story, audiences gain a rare, intimate, and contemporary insight into Putin’s Russia. The film serves as a reminder that courage can take many forms when everything seems lost.

The Danish Oscar Committee consisted of Danish film professional representatives appointed from various film associations and guilds.

Tine Fischer, Director of the Danish Film Institute and Chair of the Danish Oscar Committee, said, “This year’s shortlisted Danish Oscar titles show great diversity and strength, and after thorough consideration, the committee has decided to select Mr. Nobody Against Putin. It is a courageous film that dares to approach one of the most complex and conflict-filled issues of our time—without losing sight of the human dimension. It balances humor, absurdity, and seriousness with great precision, and testifies to what documentary film can achieve when it insists on both form and content. It is a film that does not offer easy answers, but asks important questions—and precisely for that reason, we believe it has international potential.”