David Borenstein

Borenstein graduated from the University of Florida in 2009 with degrees in Chinese and political science. He then received a Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship to China.^[3][4]

Borenstein began his career in radio broadcasting and directed his first feature film, Dream Empire, in 2016.^[5][6] He spent ten years in China working on the film, shooting documentaries about the fringes of Chinese society.^[7][8] For this work, he received several nominations and won the Golden Alexander for Best Documentary at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

He is the director of the documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin, released in 2025.

The Danish Film Institute described his film Can't Feel Nothing as one that "constructs a tapestry of human stories across four continents, depicting a world where our emotions are commodified and instrumentalized with ruthless efficiency."^[9]

Borenstein has argued that propaganda operates not only through state media but also through institutions such as schools. Critics have noted that Mr. Nobody Against Putin depicts how authoritarian structures take hold in everyday life.^[10][11]

In addition to his feature films, Borenstein directs and produces broadcast documentaries for public broadcasters including PBS, notably for the series NOVA, and for BBC World Service.^[12][13] For NOVA's Decoding COVID-19, he filmed inside Wuhan during the early stages of the pandemic;^[14] the production later received a duPont–Columbia Award.^[15] For NOVA's Inside China's Tech Boom, he filmed inside Huawei's offices as the company responded to U.S. sanctions.^[16]

• Golden Alexander for Best Documentary – Thessaloniki International Film Festival

• Special Jury Award – Sundance Film Festival (2025)^[17]
• BAFTA Award for Best Documentary (February 2026)^[18]
• Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film (98th Academy Awards, March 2026)^[18]

Borenstein lives and works in Copenhagen.^[19]