20 Days in Mariupol wins best documentary Oscar

The film 20 Days in Mariupol was recognized the best documentary at the Oscar award ceremony. It’s the first time in history that a Ukrainian film won an Academy Award.

The film director Mstyslav Chernov made a speech during the awarding ceremony:

"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".

Photo correspondent Eugene Malolietka and producer Vasylisa Stepanenko who worked with Mstyslav Chernov in besieged Mariupol in 2022, along with American producers Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath, also came on the stage.

Recently, 20 Days in Mariupol has also won a BAFTA.

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Mstyslav Chernov is a journalist, war correspondent, videographer, writer, and member of PEN Ukraine. Together with Eugene Malolietka, he won the George Gongadze Prize in 2022.