Ukrainian documentary film 20 Days in Mariupol made history as it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film at this year’s Oscars. The other nominees were Bobi Wine: The People’s President, The Eternal Memory, Four Daughters, and To Kill a Tiger.
Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov is the director of this Oscar-winning documentary. During the early days of Russia invading his country, he decided to document the entire ordeal. Through filmmaking, Chernov narrated a heartbreaking story of war and despair.
20 Days in Mariupol was received positively by critics after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2023. Moreover, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it “a searing film [that] bears a terrible witness to this great crime.”
According to IMDb, the synopsis of 20 Days in Mariupol reads, “As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.”
20 Days in Mariupol becomes the first Ukrainian film to win an Oscar
During his Oscar acceptance speech, director Mstyslav Chernov revealed that a Ukrainian film had never won an Academy Award. However, in retrospect to the film’s theme, he wished he never created the Oscar-winning documentary.
He said, “I am honored, but probably I will be the first director on this stage to say that I wish I’ve never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities. I’d wish to give all the recognition to Russia not killing tens of thousands of my fellow Ukrainians.”
20 Days in Mariupol also won the Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2023. In addition, the screening was held at the beginning of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly last year.
