Dolphin Subsidiary 42West Celebrates Oscar Win as "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" Takes Best Documentary Feature at the 98th Academy Awards

Ceremony Hosted for the Second Consecutive Year by Longtime 42West Client Conan O'Brien

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESS Newswire / March 17, 2026 / The entertainment PR and marketing powerhouse 42West, a subsidiary of Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), celebrated a major triumph at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night as "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. This year's ceremony was hosted for the second consecutive year by longtime 42West client Conan O'Brien.

"Mr. Nobody Against Putin" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025. The film follows a brave teacher navigating Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as primary schools across the country are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Faced with the ethical dilemma of working within a system defined by propaganda and violence, he secretly films what's really happening inside his own school. The film is co-directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin, and produced by Borenstein, Helle Faber, Radovan Síbrt, and Alžběta Karásková.

In its 21-year history, 42West has worked on the campaigns of countless Academy Award winning films, including eight Best Picture winners. "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" marks the company's fourth win in the Documentary Feature category, following "Taxi to the Dark Side" (2007), "The Cove" (2010) and "Searching for Sugar Man" (2013).

At the 98th Academy Awards, the company had additional nominations in the categories of Best Picture (client Ashley Schlaifer, producer of "Train Dreams"), Best Documentary Feature ("The Alabama Solution," and client Andrew Jarecki), Best Animated Feature ("Little Amelie or the Character of Rain," from client GKIDS), Best Makeup and Hairstyling ("Kokuho," also from GKIDS), and Best Documentary Short ("Children No More: Were and Are Gone").

ABOUT 42WEST:
42West, a subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment, is one of the entertainment industry's leading full-service public-relations firms. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, 42West has four divisions: Talent, Strategic Communications, Entertainment Marketing, and Fandoms & Franchises, the award-winning firm's gaming, consumer products and publishing practice. The agency has developed and executed marketing and publicity strategies for hundreds of movies and television shows as well as countless actors, filmmakers, recording artists, personalities and authors. In addition, 42West provides strategic counsel to a wide variety of high-profile individuals and corporate clients-ranging from movie and pop stars to major studios, charitable organizations, and media conglomerates-looking to raise, reposition, or rehabilitate their public profiles.

ABOUT DOLPHIN:
Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline.

At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120.

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CONTACT:
James Carbonara
HAYDEN IR
(646)-755-7412
[email protected]

SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment