The film "20 Days in Mariupol" directed by Mstislav Chernov has been selected as Ukraine's submission for the Oscars. It will compete in the category of "Best International Feature Film."
The selection was made by the Ukrainian Oscar Committee, which had to choose from among five films. The other films considered for submission were "Iron Butterflies" by Roman Lyubyy, "Pamfir" by Dmytro Sukholitky-Sobchuk, "Terikony" by Taras Tomenko, and "SHTTL" by Adriyen Walter.
The film "20 Days in Mariupol" was a collaborative effort that included director Mstislav Chernov, photographer Yevgen Maloletka, and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko. They were among the last journalists to cover the beginning of Russia's destruction of Mariupol, and all three of them received the Pulitzer Prize for their work.
The film depicts the start of a full-scale invasion, the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, and the rescue of the film's author and his colleagues from the Associated Press from the besieged city by Russian forces.
The film "20 Days in Mariupol" has become the highest-grossing documentary film in Ukraine.
