Who was listed first for Mr. Nobody against Putin's Oscar win?

David Borenstein was listed first for Mr. Nobody Against Putin’s Oscar win. He shared the Best Documentary Feature award with Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber, and Alžběta Karásková.

Borenstein directed, produced, and wrote the 2025 documentary, which follows Russian teacher Pavel Talankin as he records the militarization of schooling and the spread of pro-government messaging during the war in Ukraine. Talankin’s footage forms the film’s intimate firsthand perspective, while Borenstein shaped it into the finished documentary.

The film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award, and it was selected as Denmark’s entry for the international-feature race before also winning Best Documentary Feature. Helle Faber was a producer, not the director, which explains why her name can be confused with Borenstein’s.

The title’s “Mr. Nobody” refers to Talankin’s deliberately low-profile position as an ordinary teacher. The Oscar recognized the filmmaking team rather than a single on-screen subject.