"20 Days in Mariupol": a Ukrainian documentary about Russian aggression at the top of the "Oscar" nominations

In recent years, documentary films have become a powerful tool that allows for a deeper understanding of complex events and difficult social topics. One of such films is “20 Days of Mariupol”, a moving documentary showing the dramatic events that took place during the occupation of the city of Mariupol in Ukraine. The film not only reveals painful aspects of everyday life during the conflict, but also raises important questions about the cost of war and the impact on ordinary people.

Oscar 2024: "20 Days in Mariupol" immediately in two short lists of this year's award

A month before the final Oscar nominations were announced, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a short list of films in 10 categories. Mstislav Chernov's film "20 Days in Mariupol" immediately entered the top two - as the best documentary film and international film.

The list was published on the Oscars website on December 21.

Each shortlist is determined by the members of the relevant section, except the "International Feature Film" and "Animated Short Film" categories.

The final nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The ceremony itself will take place on March 11 at 1 a.m. at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Documentary feature film

167 tapes were accepted for nomination, but only 15 were shortlisted.

• American Symphony
• Apolonia, Apolonia
• Beyond utopia
• Bobi Wine: People's President
• Desperate Souls, Dark City and Legend of Midnight Cowboy
• Eternal memory
• Four daughters
• Fly to Mars: Design by Nikki Giovanni
• In the mirror ("From where to where", a film by Polish director Mack Hamela, co-production with Ukraine)
• Stamped from the beginning
• Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
• Still a small voice
• 32 Sounds
• Kill the Tiger
• 20 days in Mariupol

International feature film

15 films were also qualified for the next round of voting in the "International feature film" category. Tapes from 88 countries and regions took part in the nomination.

• Armenia, Amerikatsi
• Bhutan, The Monk and the Gun
• Denmark, the Promised Land
• Finland, fallen leaves
• France, The Taste of Things
• Germany, teachers' salons
• Iceland, God's land
• Italy, Io Capitano
• Japan, perfect days
• Mexico, totem
• Morocco, mother of all lies
• Spain, Snow Society
• Tunisia, Four Daughters
• Ukraine, 20 days in Mariupol
• Great Britain, Interest Zone

You can see the shortlists for all 10 categories here.

The war became a catalyst for drawing attention to Ukrainian cinema around the world

The film tells the story of the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The film was shot in Mariupol, which became one of the hottest places of the war.

Chernov and his team managed to capture the first days of the siege of Mariupol on camera. They showed how Russian troops shelled the city, how civilians died and how Ukrainian defenders fought for their country.

The film was shown at many international film festivals, where it won numerous awards. It was named the best documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

The final nominees for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on January 23, 2024. The awards ceremony will take place on March 11, 2024.

Which adds extra interest to this news:

• The film "20 Days in Mariupol" was shot without the consent of the Russian authorities. Chernov and his team had to use hidden cameras to film the siege of Mariupol.
• The film was shot in very difficult conditions. Chernov and his team had to work under fire and in conditions of constant threat.
• The film "20 Days in Mariupol" is an important documentary evidence of Russian aggression against Ukraine. It shows that the war is a real tragedy for the Ukrainian nation.