NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 鈥20 Days in Mariupol,鈥 Mstyslav Chernov鈥檚 harrowing chronicle of the besieged Ukrainian city and the international journalists who remained there after Russia's invasion, has been nominated for best documentary at the Academy Awards, handing The Associated Press its first Oscar nomination in the 178-year-old news organization鈥檚 history.
The film, between the AP and PBS鈥 鈥淔rontline,鈥 was shot during the first three weeks of the war in Ukraine, in early 2022. arrived in Mariupol one hour before Russia began bombarding With him were photographer Evgeniy Maloletka and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko.
The 鈥 the death of a 4-year-old girl, freshly dug mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital 鈥 unflinchingly documented the of the unfolding siege.
鈥淚t is a bittersweet feeling because we know this film represents a huge tragedy for humanity, for Ukrainians it's a huge loss of lives," Chernov said in an interview. "All we can do is try to make sure this tragedy is not going to be forgotten. Every single nomination, every single prize, every single recognition for this film means that we are able to tell this story to more people, to make sure it's not going to be forgotten."
Chernov spoke Tuesday after arriving in Paris for a screening of 鈥20 Days in Mariupol.鈥 On the same day where he could celebrate the film's Oscar nomination, he learned that his hometown of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine The missile attacks killed six people and injured 57, including eight children, the United Nations said. The bombings also damaged about 30 residential buildings.
That news weighed heavily on Chernov.
鈥淢y hometown got bombarded,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 keep seeing the images of what's in the film and what is happening right now in Ukraine 鈥 not only in Kharkiv but also Kyiv and other cities 鈥 and they are the same images. The same things are happening over and over.鈥
鈥淓very day, a city somewhere in Ukraine suffers a fate that is very similar to what happened to Mariupol,鈥 added Chernov. "Throughout the two years this film has journeyed, it became a symbol of more than just Mariupol. It became a symbol of every Ukrainian city that got destroyed and wiped out by Russian bombs."
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 20,000 injured since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion began, the U.N. said.
The work of Chernov, Maloletka, Stepanenko and Lori Hinnant last year and featured prominently in a Pulitzer for Since of 鈥20 Days in Mariupol鈥 a year ago, Chernov鈥檚 film 鈥 now available to watch for free in North America on and other streaming services 鈥 has been hailed as one of the of the year. It鈥檚 also been nominated by the BAFTAs, the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild for best documentary, and the it for best international film.
Meanwhile, is nearing the two-year mark. Fighting through the winter is mired along a 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line. In recent months, Russian aerial attacks have
The war in Ukraine and other conflicts, including the have been particularly dangerous for journalists. In December, the International Federation of Journalists said around the world in 2023 and almost 400 were imprisoned.
In Chernov, Maloletka and Stepanenko are challenged not just by the artillery shells falling around them but by the Russian blockade of the city. Water, food supplies and, critically, the internet were cut from Mariupol days into the invasion. The journalists had to search for places to file their dispatches from, sending minutes of their hours of footage.
鈥淒espite extremely challenging and deeply personal circumstances, AP鈥檚 Mariupol team offered the world an essential window into the Russia-Ukraine war as it was beginning to unfold,鈥 AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Julie Pace said in a statement. 鈥淭hat the academy has chosen to recognize 鈥20 Days in Mariupol鈥 is a testament to the power of eyewitness journalism and the bravery of the journalists on the ground.鈥
The for documentary feature are: 鈥淔our Daughters,鈥 鈥淏obi Wine: The People鈥檚 President,鈥 and 鈥淭o Kill a Tiger.鈥
As documentary filmmaking has proliferated in recent years, news organizations have played prominent roles in Oscar-nominated documentaries. Last year, CNN Films won its first Oscar for the Alexei Navalny documentary In 2022, the New York Times took its first Academy Award for the documentary short Last year, four New Yorker shorts received four Oscar nominations.
The 96th Oscars are on March 10.
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