20 Days in Mariupol team brings Oscar to Ukraine

Espreso correspondent Dmytro Didora reported this.

Director Mstyslav Chernov, producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, and photographer Yevhen Malolietka, who won the first Oscar in the history of Ukraine for their documentary about the siege of a Ukrainian port city by the Russian criminal army, as well as a number of film awards, including the BAFTA, brought the statuettes to Kyiv. They will be displayed in the Ukrainian office of the American news agency Associated Press. Chernov, Stepanenko, and Malolietka arrived in Mariupol on February 24, 2022, as AP correspondents.

They said they were happy to return to Ukraine. Chernov noted that they felt the support of Ukrainians, something they did not have time to say from the stage of the film award.

Photo: Espreso

Speaking about the film, the creators of 20 Days in Mariupol noted that the film could be the beginning of an investigation into war crimes. It is important to liberate the city to start the process of investigating war crimes. However, photos and videos can become additional evidence.

Recently, 20 Days in Mariupol was shown in the European Parliament. According to Chernov, there were a lot of questions after the screening and many difficult conversations with the deputies. There was a screening at the US State Department before the Oscars. They noted that there were Russians at the screenings abroad.

The filmmakers clarified that after leaving Mariupol, they continued to work on investigations at the front. Mstyslav said that he is currently working on two more documentaries.

Earlier, Vasilisa Stepanenko said that she also continues to work at the front as a journalist. The producer shared that the team is following the fate of the film's characters and continues to communicate with them.

This year, the film won the first Oscar for Ukraine. It won in the Best Feature Documentary nomination.

Later, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs showed a video interview with Volodymyr Nikulin, deputy chief of the Donetsk police department, who became one of the main characters in Mstyslav Chernov's Oscar-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol and helped the film crew leave the besieged city.

Mstyslav Chernov, a war correspondent and director of the film 20 Days in Mariupol, said that it was painful to create the film throughout the entire process.

On February 18, the film 20 Days in Mariupol won the Best Documentary Award at the British BAFTA Awards.

The documentary was also ranked 4th in the UK and 6th in the US in The Guardian's lists of best films. IndieWire, a publication specializing in the film industry and film reviews, also named the best feature films and documentaries of 2023. It gathered the opinions of 158 film critics from around the world, and 20 Days in Mariupol was among the top 10 best documentaries of the year.