The Ukrainian film “20 Days in Mariupol,” directed by Mstislav Chernov, won the Oscar in the “Best Documentary” category.
This is a historic victory for Ukraine, as it is the first time a Ukrainian film has received such a prestigious film award. The film tells the story of the terrible events that took place in Mariupol when the city was under fire from Russian troops.
The 96th Academy Awards ceremony took place on the night of March 10-11 in Los Angeles.
During his speech on stage, Mstislav Chernov expressed his gratitude for the award, but he also shared his desire to exchange the Oscar for ensuring peace and security for Ukraine. He called for support for his country and fervently asked that Russia stop its aggression against Ukraine and release all Ukrainian hostages and soldiers defending their land.
“We cannot change history, we cannot influence the past, but together we, each of you and I, are now among the most talented people in the world. We can do everything we can to correct history, to let the truth prevail, and to ensure that those who died in Mariupol and all those who sacrificed their lives are never forgotten. Cinema shapes memories, and memories create history,” Chernov said during a performance on stage in Los Angeles.
Photojournalist Yevhen Maloletka and film producer Vasilya Stepanenko were also awarded an Oscar; together with the director, they worked in Mariupol in 2022.
A few weeks ago, “20 Days in Mariupol” received the prestigious British film award BAFTA.
Until 2024, Ukrainian films received Oscar nominations, but none of them ever won this prestigious award. For example, in 2023, a film about a children's shelter in Donbas, “House of Splinters,” was nominated, and in 2016, a film about Euromaidan, “Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom.” However, these films were co-productions of Ukraine and other countries. The first Ukrainian film to win an Oscar was “20 Days in Mariupol.”.
The Oscars in various categories were presented at the ceremony in 2024:
- Best film – “Oppenheimer”.
- Best Actor – Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer.”.
- Best Actress – Emma Stone, “Poor Creatures.”.
- Best Director – Christopher Nolan for the film “Oppenheimer”.
- Best Documentary Short Film – “The Last Workshop”.
- Best International Film – “Area of Interest,” directed by Jonathan Glazer.
- Best Animated Film – “The Boy and the Heron,” directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
- Best Supporting Actress – Da'Vin Joy Randolph, "Poor Things.".
- Best Supporting Actor – Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer.”.
- Best Original Screenplay – “Anatomy of a Fall,” by Justine Trier and Arthur Arari.
- Best Adapted Screenplay – “American Reading,” by Cord Jefferson.
Shortly before the Oscar ceremony, BBC Ukraine asked Mstislav Chernov if he had prepared a speech in case of victory.
The director replied that any Ukrainian would trade any world awards for avoiding a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I wish this film didn’t exist, but it does. And since it does, I have to do everything I can to get it seen by as many people as possible. This is our main goal, and we are doing everything to achieve it,” the director emphasized.
At all the film festivals where the film received awards, Chernov used them to talk about the tragedy of Mariupol and the war.
His documentary tells the story of the first weeks of the Russian invasion of Mariupol: shelling, the death of civilians, the bombing of a maternity hospital.
The film features scenes of the deaths of many local residents at the hands of Russian troops.
Chernov constantly reminds viewers that the war is ongoing in Ukraine and what they see on the screen is happening now.
Together with photographer Yevhen Maloletka and producer Vasylisa Stepanenko, they traveled to Mariupol on February 23, 2022, before the invasion. Their reporting helped the world see what was happening in the city.
For this work, they received the Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious award for journalists.
The film also depicts the personal lives of war correspondents and the documentation of history. The journalists risked their lives filming the events in Mariupol.
“This film is difficult to watch, but it needs to be watched,” Chernov noted.
Before the film “20 Days in Mariupol” won the Oscar, it had already received numerous awards and recognition around the world.
The New York Times described the film as “a ruthless and truly important documentary.”.
Rolling Stone emphasized that it is “a harrowing testament to the necessity and high cost of documenting life in a war zone.”.
At the world's leading independent film festival, Sundance, in 2023, “20 Days in Mariupol” won the Audience Award.
Film critics from the United States recognized it as the best in the nominations "directorial debut" and "political documentary" at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.
The Ukrainian film became the highest-grossing documentary last year in Ukraine, collecting over 500 thousand hryvnias in its first weekend of release alone.
Mstislav Chernov received the Directors Guild of America Award.
During the BAFTA Awards in London, he spoke of Mariupol as a symbol of struggle and faith, calling for the fight to continue.
After receiving the Oscar, Chernov told reporters that his film presents destroyed Ukrainian cities as a reminder to the world of the need to stop the invasion.
“I hope this victory will tell more people about what is happening in Ukraine and attract their attention,” the director added.
