BAFTA award goes to “20 Days in Mariupol” for best documentary film

The Ukrainian film "20 Days in Mariupol," directed by Mstyslav Chernov, won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award in the "Best Documentary" category.

This is reported on the award's website.

As noted, the film was also nominated in the "Best Foreign Language Film" category, but Jonathan Glazer's historical drama "Zone of Interest" won.

The film "20 Days in Mariupol", which shows the city's siege from February 24, 2022, is the directorial debut of war correspondent, photographer, videographer, and writer Mstyslav Chernov.

The documentary was created in cooperation with the Associated Press and American documentarians from Frontline.

The material for the film was shot during the first days of the siege of Mariupol.

Photographer Yevhen Maloletka and producer and journalist Vasylisa Stepanenko were also involved in creating the picture.

Arriving in the city on February 24, 2022, Chernov and Maloletka covered the work of doctors in local hospitals, recorded numerous casualties among the civilian population, and left the city on March 15 as part of a convoy that left after the opening of the humanitarian corridor.

The documentary chronicles the commencement of a large-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and the daring rescue of the author of the footage and his colleagues from the Associated Press, who were trapped in a city surrounded by Russian troops.

In 2023, the authors of the documentary became laureates of the Pulitzer Prize in the category "Service to Society."

The world premiere of "20 Days in Mariupol" occurred at the Sundance 2023 independent film festival in the USA, where the film received the Audience Award.

The film was also nominated for an Oscar as "Best Feature Documentary."

In addition, the film "20 Days in Mariupol," directed by Mstyslav Chernov, won an award from the Directors Guild of America (DGA Awards).

It should be noted that Mstyslav Chernov's film "20 Days in Mariupol" became the highest-grossing documentary film at the Ukrainian box office.

For reference:

On Sunday, February 18, the 77th British Academy Film Awards ceremony took place.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is an independent public and charitable organization of Great Britain, as well as the actual awards presented by this institution for achievements in the field of cinematography and television arts for children.

The Academy was established on April 16, 1947, with David Lynn at the helm. It was initially known as the British Film Academy until 1976. In 1958, the Guild of Television Producers merged with the Film Academy and was subsequently renamed the British Academy of Film and Television Films. Recipients of awards are presented with a golden mask as a prize.

The film awards ceremonies held by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Golden Globes selected by members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association serve as a rehearsal for the Oscars, often predicting the winners.

The award was first presented in 1948 in London.

Since 2001, the ceremony has been moved from April to February, so the BAFTA awards ceremony precedes the Oscars.