Oscar 2024: Ukrainian 20 Days in Mariupol film has won

The world's most prestigious film award ceremony - the Oscars 2024 - took place in Los Angeles on the night of 10-11 March (Kyiv time). 20 Days in Mariupol has won the Best Documentary Feature Film. The documentary directed by Mstyslav Chernov has become the third Ukrainian film to be nominated for an Academy Award in the 96 years of its existence.

Quote from Mstyslav Chernov: "This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history. And I'm honoured. But probably I will be the first director on this stage who will say I wish I had never made this film.

I wish to be able to exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities.

Russians are killing tens of thousands of my fellow Ukrainians. I wish for them to release all the hostages, all the soldiers who are protecting their lands, all the civilians who are now in their jails. But I cannot change history.

I cannot change the past. We altogether: you. I'm calling on you, some of the most talented people in the world.

We can make sure that the history record is set straight and that the truth will prevail and that the people of Mariupol and those who have given their lives will never be forgotten, because cinema forms memories, and memories form history." The film 20 Days in Mariupol was created by director Mstyslav Chernov, photographer Yevhen Malolietka and producer Vasylisa Stepanenko. They were the last journalists to stay in the city of Mariupol at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and they recorded an early stage of Russia's devastation of the Ukrainian city.

They later won the Pulitzer Prize for their work.

The crew of the 20 Days in MariupolPhoto: Patrick T. Fallon / Contributor via Getty Images

In addition to 20 Days in Mariupol, four other films were nominated in this category: Bobi Wine: The People's President, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Four Daughters and To Kill a Tiger.

The documentary was edited using footage that Chernov and a team of Associated Press photographers shot in Russian-sieged Mariupol and forwarded to the world media, describing the terrible events in the city: the deaths of children and adults, the mass graves, the maternity ward destroyed by a Russian airstrike, and other Russian war crimes. The film became the highest-grossing documentary in Ukraine last year, raising 500,000 UAH [roughly US£13,000] in its first weekend alone.

In the run-up to the 2024 Oscars, on 9 March, Yevhen Malolietka, Mstyslav Chernov and Vasylisa Stepanenko received the Shevchenko Prize for their series of journalistic stories about the siege of Mariupol [Shevchenko Prize is the State Award of Ukraine, the highest artistic award in Ukraine for a significant contribution to culture and art development - ed.]. These include photo and video reports, investigations and the film 20 Days in Mariupol. Earlier, Chernov's film won the British Oscar at the BAFTA Awards and the Sundance Audience Award.

In addition, at the beginning of 2024, Mstyslav Chernov was awarded the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary.

On the Oscars 2024

The 96th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on the night of 10-11 March (Kyiv time). Comedian and TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony for the fourth time. Stars of the film industry announced the winners, including actress and singer Zendaya, star of Dune, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg, actor Nicolas Cage, actor and Barbie star Ryan Gosling, iconic actor Al Pacino and others.

The biopic Oppenheimer directed by Christopher Nolan was nominated for the most awards, claiming victory in 13 categories. Poor Creatures by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos was in second place with 11 nominations. Martin Scorsese's drama Killers of the Flower Moon had 10 nominations, and Barbie, the box office hit of 2023 by Greta Gerwig, had 8.

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