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Mstislav Chernov's film 20 Days in Mariupol won Best Documentary for its first-person account of the Russian invasion.
On the evening of 11 March, an important and impressive film was once again in the spotlight of world cinema. "20 Days in Mariupol, filmed with dramatic skill, won the most prestigious film award, the Oscar. However, behind these showcases of success and brilliance lies a story of brave heroes whose actions are like a real mythical tale.
Chernov, photographer Yevhen Malolitka and producer Vasylina Stepanenko arrived an hour before Russia started bombing the port city. Two weeks later, they were the last journalists working for an international publication in the city, sending important reports to the outside world about civilian casualties of all ages, the excavation of mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and the extent of the devastation.
This is not just a film story where everything goes according to a script and has a predictable ending; it is a story about faith and risk, about doing the impossible in circumstances where every step could be your last. One of these true heroes is policeman Volodymyr, who decided to take a huge risk by helping Mstyslav Chernov and Yevhen Malolitsa to take the footage out of occupied Mariupol. Their journey through the occupied territory, marred by enemy checkpoints and threats, was incredible and terrifying, but their goal was to bring the truth to the world - and they did.
Mstislav Chernov, in his acceptance speech at the Oscars, expressed a profound truth:
"This is the first Oscar in the history of Ukraine, and it's an honour for me," Chernov said, touched. "I will probably be the first director on this stage to say that I wish I had never made this film, I wish I could have exchanged it for the fact that Russia will never attack Ukraine." But it is thanks to the film that footage is preserved that shows the reality and those who are fighting for it.
He called on Russia to stop its aggression in Ukraine. "I want them to release all the hostages, all the soldiers who are defending their land, all the civilians who are in their prisons," he said.
But there is another story behind this film, the story of brave journalists and filmmakers who risked their lives to record the truth. Mantas Kvedaravičius, a Lithuanian film director, was one of these heroes, and his life fell victim to the war. These people did not stand aside - they were those who contributed to the preservation of history and the truth about Ukraine.
The Oscars and other awards are important in today's world, where attention is quickly shifted from one event to another. But these awards are also a recognition of the brave who risked their lives to tell the world stories that deserve to be heard and remembered.