The Ukrainian film 20 Days in Mariupol, which was shot inside the besieged port city during the assault by Russian forces, has won the best documentary Oscar at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Directed by Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian journalist who documented the invasion in early 2022, 20 Days in Mariupol drew wide acclaim after its premiere at the Sundance film festival in 2023, with the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw calling it “a searing film [that] bears a terrible witness to this great crime” in a five-star review. In an interview with the Guardian, Chernov described the film as “some kind of collective resistance to tragedy”.
The film was considered a strong contender for the award, having already picked up best documentary awards from Bafta and the Directors Guild of America. In the end it triumphed over contenders including the Ugandan political documentary Bobi Wine: The People’s President, and Alzheimer’s study The Eternal Memory.
Taking to the stage, Chernov said the Oscar was the first ever for a Ukrainian film. “I am honoured but I will probably be the first director on this stage to say that I wish I had never made this film.
“I wish to be able to exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never invading our cities. I wish to be able to exchange this for Russia not killing tens of thousands of my fellow Ukrainians.”
Chernov said he also would love to be able to swap the honour for Russia “releasing the hostages” as well as “the civilians who are now in their jails”.
“I cannot change history. I cannot change the past,” he said. “But we all together, you – some of the most talented people in the world – can make sure the history record is set straight and the truth will prevail and the people of Mariupol and those who have lost their lives will never be forgotten.
“Because cinema forms memories and memories form history.”
Chernov concluded: “Thanks to Ukraine.”
Back home in his native Ukraine, the award was applauded for exposing the brutal devastation of the war and the message Chernov had sent to the world from one of the biggest stages.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he was grateful to the team for creating the film and cheered the award as “important for our entire country”. He said the death toll in Mariupol remained unknown but satellite images showed “thousands and thousands” of graves.
“The horrors of Mariupol must never be forgotten,” he said on social media. “The entire world must see and remember what the inhumane Russian invasion brought to our people. Cities and villages were destroyed, homes were burned, and entire families were killed by Russian shells and buried in their own backyards.”
Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, praised the documentary for showing “the truth to the whole world”.
“This awards ceremony is an opportunity to address millions of people. This is what the film director did by mentioning the occupation, prisoners of war, killing of Ukrainians by Russia, and illegal abduction of civilians,” he wrote on Telegram.
Associated Press contributed to this story
• This article was amended on 12 March 2024. Mstylav Chernov referred in his acceptance speech to “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian dead, not “10,000” as an earlier version quoted him as saying.
Read more about the 2024 Oscars:
• Here’s our news wrap and full list of winners – now read Peter Bradshaw’s verdict
• Al Pacino, British mothers and a codpiece envelope: the real winners and losers of the night
• Relive how the ceremony unfolded with our liveblog and get up to speed with the top viral moments and the best quotes of the night
• Have a gander at how the stars looked on the red carpet and at the show
