By Olha Chepil | 2025-09-09

The war in Ukraine is often measured in miles gained or villages lost. "2,000 Meters to Andriivka" measures it in lives.

Ukraine has chosen the new film by Oscar-winning director Mstyslav Chernov as its official submission for the 2026 Academy Awards. Premiering in Kyiv in August before a packed house of journalists, civic leaders and service members, the documentary drags viewers to the front line, collapsing the gap between sterile news dispatches and the reality of war.

"It will be very interesting to see how this will look on-screen," Captain Oleksiy Sytailo of the Ukrainian military told Kontur before the screening. "I'd like everyone to see the price we're paying for every scrap of our land."

An immersive experience

Andriivka, a small village near Bakhmut, was at the center of fierce fighting in 2023. In the film, fighters from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade cross a mined strip of forest to reclaim it, joined by the filmmakers.

Oleksandr Borodin, the brigade spokesman, told Kontur the team entered a "red zone" recently cleared of Russians but still riddled with mines and dangers.

Four soldiers wearing headcams recorded the advance. Footage from GoPros, drones and handheld cameras puts viewers alongside the fighters.

"We wanted viewers to feel for at least an hour and a half what Ukrainian fighters have been experiencing for four, and in some cases 12, years,” Alex Babenko, the cameraman, said.

It took about a year and a half to complete the film. What makes it unique is that the director and cameraman were embedded with the fighters throughout the entire mission, as they worked to raise the flag over the liberated village. The result is a perspective that allows viewers to experience the war through the eyes of the soldiers themselves.

"When you look through a GoPro, you get an insider's view of the route the fighters took. But you also see how the film's creators followed the same route, and they show the emotions. Not many documentary filmmakers are willing to take that kind of risk," Borodin said.

While the film was in production, the situation on the battlefield was in constant flux, and with it, the film's original purpose kept shifting. Its central figure is the platoon commander, known by the call sign Fedya. As some of his fighters were killed during filming, the project evolved into both a monument to their memory and a testament to their courage.

"Our main goal was to preserve the memory of all the people who gave their lives for the land we call our home," Chernov said at the screening.

Music plays a central role in shaping the film's atmosphere. The score was composed by Grammy-winning musician and producer Sam Slater, best known for his work on the soundtrack of the HBO series Chernobyl and the movie Joker.

A bridge for civilians

"2,000 Meters to Andriivka" captures more than a march toward a village. Its creators say it symbolizes the distance between society and the front.

For director Mstyslav Chernov, those worlds collided in summer 2023. As his Oscar-winning "20 Days in Mariupol" screened at festivals in Los Angeles, New York and Europe, Ukraine's counteroffensive raged. He moved between red carpets and trenches, trying to connect the two realities.

"This isn't just the distance to Andriivka. It's also the distance between society and service members, because they need support, it's important for them to feel that we hear them, understand and feel what they're going through," Chernov said.

Two thousand meters (1.2 miles) is a 10-minute run in peacetime. In war, the filmmakers say, every meter costs lives. After the premiere, journalists and viewers said the film made them see ordinary things differently.

"If for us it's a matter of turning on the air conditioner in summer or wrapping ourselves in a fur coat in winter, over there it's perceived in a completely different way. I couldn't grasp how someone could live under such conditions for a week or two," Solomiya Vitvitska, a Ukrainian journalist and television presenter, told Kontur.

The Oscar race

"2,000 Meters to Andriivka" seeks to bridge the gap between civilians and service members, reminding viewers that every meter on the battlefield costs a human life marked by pain, courage and hope. The film has been selected as Ukraine's entry for best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards.

The selection committee called it "an unflinchingly honest and penetrating documentary that delves into the reality of the Russia-Ukraine war through human experience: fragile, exhausting and at the same time full of dignity."

The film has been picked up in France, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, the Baltic countries, Hong Kong and Israel. Andriy Osipov, head of the Ukrainian State Film Agency, called it a Ukrainian legend that will become a global one.

"We're witnessing the birth of a global legend. This film will be representing Ukraine at the 98th Academy Awards. The majority voted for it," Osipov told Kontur.

The theater was silent during the Kyiv premiere. After it ended, the audience gave it a standing ovation, and more than a few people had tears in their eyes.