Ukrainian director's film 2000 Meters to Andriivka wins award at documentary film festival

Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov's film 2000 Meters to Andriivka has been awarded at the CPH:DOX documentary film festival in Denmark. Source: CPH:DOX official website Details: The film was awarded in the F:ACT AWARD category.

The jury explained their decision as follows:

Quote: "Ultimately we give the F: ACT award to 2000 Meters to Andriivka not just because it's a conflict on our doorstep, but because it's a masterpiece in filmmaking: a haunting, multi-layered portrayal of war comparable to All Quiet on the Western Front.  But this is not the First World War, it's today. The meaningless of war, and also its unsettling poetry are all on full display here.

An artist in amongst bloodshed brings the reality home, and makes an anti war film that forces us to reflect on the dignity of each human life lost." Details: The film documents events from September 2023, when the soldiers of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade were fighting to liberate the village of Andriivka near the city of Bakhmut. The filmmakers captured each stage of the operation.

Chernov worked on the project for almost a year and a half together with a team from FRONTLINE and Associated Press.

The team behind the film also includes photographer Oleksandr Babenko and producers Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath. The soundtrack was composed by Grammy-winning composer and music producer Sam Slater (Chernobyl, Joker). Quote from Chernov: "This is a hard time for Ukraine.

This is a hard time for Ukrainian filmmakers. But it is precisely now that we are fighting for the truth, for survival, for our stories not to be forgotten. This recognition is one more piece of evidence that we are being heard and seen.

...We don't know what awaits us tomorrow, but we know that as long as our voices are heard, we will remain alive."  More details: The festival featured 71 films across six categories. The main DOX:AWARD prize went to Always by Deming Chen - a chronicle of a farming family.

Background: 

• In late January, the independent US film festival Sundance screened footage from 2000 Metres to Andriivka.
• In 2024, the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol by Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko won multiple awards, including an Oscar, a BAFTA and the Audience Award at the Sundance Festival.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!