By Kontur and AFP | 2024-03-12

KYIV -- Ukraine hailed its first Oscar, awarded to a harrowing documentary about Russia's assault on the city of Mariupol, as showing "the truth about Russian terrorism" to the world.

The film, "20 Days in Mariupol," won the Best Documentary Oscar for its raw portrayal of journalists trapped inside the southern port city as Russian forces pounded it with an intense aerial bombardment.

"Russia brutally attacked Mariupol over two years ago. The film '20 Days in Mariupol' depicts the truth about Russian terrorism," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said March 11 on social media.

"I am grateful to the team behind this film for winning such an important Oscar, which allows us to speak out loudly about Russia's war against Ukraine," he added.

Directed by Ukrainian Mstyslav Chernov, the film is based on firsthand footage -- smuggled out of the city -- of the devastating impact of Russia's near-constant air and artillery attacks in February and March 2022 as its forces encircled and then entered the city.

Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, was almost completely destroyed by Russian attacks that Kyiv says killed tens of thousands of civilians.

"Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say, I wish I'd never made this film," Chernov said when accepting the award in Hollywood on March 10.

He said if he could give away his Oscar in exchange for peace, he would.

"I wish to be able to exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities," Chernov said.

'Russians closing in'

Working for the Associated Press (AP), Chernov, along with photographer Evgeniy Maloletka and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, were the last international journalists in the city.

They arrived before it was besieged by Russian forces and then effectively became trapped inside.

The team spent 20 days documenting the consequences of Russian attacks, facing bombs and bullets but also electricity and internet outages, and shortages of food and water.

The documentary offers a powerful behind-the-scenes look at how the team risked their lives to chronicle what was happening inside the city, including a direct hit on a maternity hospital that provoked outrage around the world.

The reports they managed to send out -- including pictures of pregnant women covered in blood and bodies being dumped into mass graves -- made headlines and front pages around the world.

Their work also made them a target for Russian forces.

"The Russians were hunting us down. They had a list of names, including ours, and they were closing in," Chernov wrote a week after he managed to leave the city.

Ukrainian soldiers helped the journalists leave the city -- along with 30 hours of mostly unseen video footage -- in mid-March 2022, crossing 15 Russian checkpoints before arriving in Ukrainian-held territory, Chernov said.

'Symbol of the invasion'

"At first there was an urgent need to show the world the scale of the destruction, the true face of the Russian invasion. But as time has passed, Mariupol has become the symbol of all these cities destroyed by Russian bombs," Chernov told AFP in February.

The 20 days were "like 100 years of horror," added Stepanenko. "I didn't think we were going to make it out."

Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius was shot and killed while trying to leave the city just a few weeks after the AP team managed to get out.

The film had already picked up a string of international accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize and a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award.

Victory at the world's most prestigious film awards prompted a flood of tributes and emotion across Ukrainian social media.

"A historic and sad event at the same time. Thank you to the makers of this terrifying film," Ukrainian MP Iryna Gerashchenko said on Facebook.

Speaking after receiving the Oscar, Chernov recalled the strike on the maternity hospital almost exactly two years ago.

"That moment became a symbol of the invasion, of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and a symbol of war crimes that they did there," he said.

The Kremlin declined to comment when asked about the film's success.