NEW YORK (AP) — “20 Days in Mariupol,” Mstyslav Chernov's harrowing chronicle of the besieged Ukrainian city and the international journalists who remained there after the Russian invasion, has been nominated for best documentary film at the Academy Awards, taking home the first Award from The Associated Press Oscar nomination in the history of the 178-year-old news organization.
The film, a co-production of the AP and PBS's “Frontline,” was shot during the first three weeks of the war in Ukraine, in early 2022. Chernov, a Ukrainian journalist and filmmaker, arrived in Mariupol an hour before Russia began bombing the port city. With him were photographer Evgeniy Maloletka and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko.
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The images and stories they captured – the death of a four-year-old girl, freshly dug mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital – unflinchingly documented the grim, unrelenting reality of the looming siege.
“Despite extremely challenging and deeply personal circumstances, AP's Mariupol team offered the world an important glimpse into the war between Russia and Ukraine as it began to unfold,” Julie Pace, AP senior vice president and editor-in-chief, said in an explanation. “The Academy's decision to recognize '20 Days in Mariupol' is a testament to the power of eyewitness journalism and the courage of journalists on the ground.” We are incredibly proud of Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa Stepanenko and the whole Team from “20 Days in Mariupol”.
Photographer Evgeniy Maloletka (from left), “Frontline” producer and editor Michelle Mizner, director Mstyslav Chernov and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko pose for a portrait to promote the film “20 Days in Mariupol” at the Latinx House during the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, January 22, 2023, in Park City, Utah. The film is a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline.” (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)
The work of Chernov, Maloletka, Stepanenko and Lori Hinnant won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Merit last year and was highlighted in a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. Since “20 Days in Mariupol” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival a year ago, Chernov’s film has been hailed as one of the most important nonfiction films of the year. The film was also nominated for Best Documentary by the BAFTAs, Producers Guild and Directors Guild and was also shortlisted for Best International Film by the Academy.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine is approaching the two-year mark. The fight through the winter runs along a 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line. In recent months, Russian airstrikes have sharply increased the number of civilian casualties.
The war in Ukraine and other conflicts, including the war between Israel and Hamas, have been particularly dangerous for journalists. In December, the International Federation of Journalists announced that 94 journalists were killed and nearly 400 imprisoned worldwide in 2023.
In “20 Days in Mariupol,” Chernov, Maloletka and Stepanenko are challenged not only by the artillery shells falling around them, but also by the Russian blockade of the city. Water, food and, most importantly, the internet have been cut off since the days of the invasion of Mariupol. The journalists had to look for places to file their reports and sent minutes of their hours of footage.
As documentary filmmaking has proliferated in recent years, news organizations have featured prominently in Oscar-nominated documentaries. Last year, CNN Films won its first Oscar for the Alexei Navalny documentary “Navalny.” In 2022, The New York Times received its first Oscar for the documentary short film “The Queen of Basketball.” Last year, four New Yorker short films received four Oscar nominations.
The Oscars take place on March 10th.
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For more information about the 2024 Oscars, visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards