Mstislav Chernov's documentary 20 Days in Mariupol about the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category. Other films nominated in the same category are Bobby Wine: The People's President, Eternal Sunshine, Four Daughters, and To Kill a Tiger.
"20 Days in Mariupol is a documentary chronicling the first days of the Russian invasion. A team of Associated Press reporters, including director Mstyslav Chernov, photographer Yevhen Malolietka, and producer Vasylisa Stepanenko, spent 20 days filming the city besieged by Russian troops.
In January 2023, this film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Independent Film Festival.
The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
Earlier, the Associated Press team won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their reporting from Mariupol, besieged by the Russian army. The prize was shared by three Ukrainians: documentary filmmaker Mstislav Chernov, photographer Yevhen Malolietka and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, as well as French journalist Laurie Hinnant.
The AP staff were the last representatives of foreign media to be in Mariupol, which was under massive shelling. Chernov and Maloletka got out of the city on March 15, 2022, having managed to film the aftermath of a Russian strike on a maternity hospital. Thanks to their work, the whole world saw this footage.
The Pulitzer Prize in the News Photography category also went to a group of seven Associated Press correspondents, including Yevhen Malolietka.
Background. Earlier it was reported that 20 Days in Mariupol, which will represent Ukraine at the Oscars, will compete with other contenders for the nomination in the Best International Feature Film category.