Denmark selects ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ for 2026 Oscars

Denmark has officially made its submission for the 2026 Academy Awards.

They have opted for politics over lighter genres in its Oscar race, selecting David Borenstein’s Sundance-winning documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin as its official entry for the 2026 Oscars in the category of Best International Feature.

The documentary centres on a Russian primary school teacher who dares to confront Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine.

By secretly documenting classroom activities, the teacher reveals how the Kremlin manipulates young minds with misinformation and agitprop, grooming them as future soldiers for its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Previously, the film earned the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize at Sundance.

Denmark made this decision at the expense of two more prominent Danish contenders including Anders Thomas Jensen’s The Last Viking, featuring Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas, and Jeanette Nordahl’s Beginnings, starring Trine Dyrholm and David Dencik.

Borenstein co-directed Mr. Nobody Against Putin with Pasha Talankin, while Helle Faber produced the film under the banner of Made in Copenhagen. International distribution is being managed by DR Sales.

Denmark has a long and respected history at the Oscars, with four past wins in the same category with Gabriel Axel’s Babette’s Feast, Pelle the Conqueror directed by Bille August, Susanne Bier’s In a Better World, and Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round.

Most recently, the country earned a nomination with Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle.

The Academy will reveal its shortlist of 15 international films on December 16, followed by the final nominations on January 22.

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 15 in Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre.