Danish producer Helle Faber won the Best Documentary Oscar five days before the Oscars, with "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" co-directed by American filmmaker David Borenstein and Russian schoolteacher-turned-filmmaker Pavel Talankin. The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025, was seen as an unlikely Oscar nominee after a slow-burning festival run and winning over Netflix-backed favorite "The Perfect Neighbor". Faber credits her success to grassroots efforts and support from the documentary industry. The director Borenstest gave the most openly accepted acceptance speech of the evening.