Borenstein is positioning this as a continuation of his commitment to democratic values and thoughtful storytelling, emphasizing his desire to support PBS during a challenging political moment while building on the collaborative success of his Oscar-winning documentary.
Insiders say the Oscar win has already shifted industry interest in Borenstein's projects, with producer Helle Faber noting that more people are coming forward to collaborate now that they can see how the team 'takes care of people'—though Borenstein himself is quietly concerned about how his newfound fame might affect his ability to work covertly on sensitive subjects.
Borenstein won the Oscar for Best Documentary five days before he was set to pitch at CPH:DOX's Forum platform, forcing him to pull out. His next film 'Living in Our Heads' is being produced by Helle Faber at Made in Copenhagen, and he confirmed he'll continue his collaboration with PBS's Nova science program.
Borenstein's post-Oscar strategy is shrewd—he's leveraging the platform to push for meaningful access while supporting American public broadcasting when it needs allies most. That's the kind of Hollywood maneuvering that actually matters.
David Borenstein's phone has probably been ringing off the hook since last week, but don't expect him to suddenly change his playbook. The Oscar-winning director of "Mr Nobody Against Putin" tells Variety he's already thinking about what comes next—and it's a calculated move that blends his documentary instincts with a dose of civic duty.
The American filmmaker was supposed to pitch his upcoming project at CPH:DOX's prestigious Forum platform earlier this week, but pulled out at the last minute for a very good reason: five days prior, he won the Oscar for Best Documentary for "Mr Nobody Against Putin," a film he co-directed with Russian school teacher Pavel Talankin. Now, Borenstein is lining up his next feature "Living in Our Heads" with producer Helle Faber at Made in Copenhagen—his trusted collaborator from the Oscar-winning film.
"One thing I learned from 'Mr Nobody Against Putin' is the benefit of having a co-director and opening yourself up to working with someone else, including someone you wouldn't necessarily think to make a documentary with," Borenstein said while packing his suitcase to fly home from Los Angeles back to Copenhagen. "If you had told me I would direct a film with a Russian school teacher from a town of 8,000 people, I would not have immediately believed you, but what Pasha gave to this project was everything."
But there's another piece of Borenstein's next chapter that speaks to his values: he's committing to working with PBS, specifically the Nova science program. "I think PBS is absolutely crucial for America," he said. "I am in dismay about what's happened to it over the last year during this Trump administration. I would like to support PBS however I can now." That's a deliberate political statement from a filmmaker who clearly understands the power of platform—and who's choosing to use his newly won influence in a specific direction.
Faber, for her part, is already noticing the industry shift that comes with Oscar gold. "When you have the right project, everyone wants to be a part of it, but, of course, now that we can brag about this little golden man, I think more interest will come our way for the next project," she said. She also noted that access—the lifeblood of documentary filmmaking—should get easier now: "I think it's going to be much easier to get people to talk to David." But Borenstein himself is thoughtfully pragmatic about the fame factor, admitting he "do[es] wonder if the loss of some of that anonymity has to make me think about how to go about that" when it comes to his signature work of gaining access and working his way into interesting institutions.
That's the mark of a filmmaker who understands that winning an Oscar changes everything and nothing at the same time. The golden statue opens doors, but the real question is whether you can still slip through them unnoticed when you need to. Borenstein seems intent on finding out—and using whatever new leverage he has in the process.
