Sunday night, on March 15, 2026, became a historic moment, as Mr. Nobody Against Putin took home the Oscar for Best Documentary – marking the first win of its kind in Danish documentary history.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin was produced by Helle Faber, directed by the Copenhagen-based American filmmaker David Borenstein, and co-directed by the film’s main character, Pavel ‘Pasha’ Talankin.

Even our CEO and founder, Mette Hoffmann Meyer, served as executive producer on the film. While this is not the first Oscar win for Mette and THE WHY Foundation, having previously won for Taxi to the Dark Side, which was part of our WHY DEMOCRACY? series, she is immensely proud to have been part of this journey.

The documentary tells the story of a teacher who loves his hometown, Karabash, in Russia, and cares deeply for his students. But as Russian forces invaded Ukraine, the war slowly seeped into Russian schools. Students were introduced to a new patriotic curriculum that portrays Ukraine as a country of nationalists and neo-Nazis. Everyday school life became increasingly militarised, with children being taught to throw hand grenades rather than play football, and acts of patriotism becoming part of their daily routine.

But the film is about much more than war. As David Borenstein said in his acceptance speech at the Oscars:

“Mr. Nobody against Putin is about how you lose your country… you lose it through countless small acts of complicity… When we don’t say anything, when oligarchs take over the media and control how we can produce it and consume it. We all face a moral choice, but luckily even a nobody is more powerful than you think.”

But Pasha chose to speak up rather than remain complicit, as it was tormenting him to watch the war affect the town and the people that he cared for so much. At a recent screening hosted for THE WHY Club and our supporters, Pasha joined the audience for a discussion about the making of the film. He shared that early in the process, Helle Faber had made it clear that if the film were ever to be released, he would have to leave his hometown. He was faced with a difficult choice: to remain silent and stay or to speak out and leave behind his home, family and friends. Even though it was a painful decision, Pasha felt that it was more painful to stay silent than to speak up.

This unique insight seeks to unveil how the war unfolds within Russia’s own borders, documenting an essential yet often unseen aspect of the conflict in Ukraine over the past four years. At the same time, this is also a story of resistance – resistance against misinformation, propaganda and the militarisation of schools under the Russian regime.

When asked by reporters, David Borenstein also considered resistance a central theme, and what he hopes audiences will take away from the film:

“We need to be having a talk about resistance. When is it appropriate to resist? What kind of moral choices do we face when societies around us are transformed by dark forces? I think Pasha shows a great example of how anybody can have a voice, how anybody can make a difference because even a nobody can become a somebody. A nobody can make a difference and all of our individual choices matter.”

When it was Pasha’s turn to take the stage with his golden statuette in hand, he had one clear message:

“For four years we look at the sky for shooting stars to make a very important wish. But there are countries where instead of shooting stars they have shooting bombs and shooting drones. In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now.”

Pasha continues to be a powerful voice of resistance. Having witnessed the effects of war on children and families, not only in Ukraine, but within Russia as well, his story highlights the human cost of conflict and the importance of speaking out.

When asked about his plans for the future during our screening for THE WHY Club, Pasha said that it is difficult to say, but that he hopes to continue working with films. At the same time, he acknowledged how challenging the process can be, which was something he experienced firsthand while making Mr. Nobody Against Putin.

For now, the film continues to reach new audiences across the globe. Even in Denmark, over the past few months, the film has been shown to thousands of Danish students as part of ASK WHY? Docs. After each screening, the students engaged in a debate with the documentary’s assistant director, Katya Kize, discussing the importance of critical thinking and democracy – and here at THE WHY, we will carry on that conversation.

As Mr. Nobody Against Putin continues to gain international recognition, we remain committed to sparking important conversations about democracy and mis- and disinformation here at home. Above all, we carry forward the film’s core message: even the smallest acts of resistance can shape the future.