Latin American TV films on war in Ukraine earn prestigious awards
Photo: The team of the film "Ucrania, un año de resistencia" / "Ukraine, a Year of Resistance." Vincente Padilla is in the center / Photo provided by Vincente Padilla
Argentinian channel TN has been awarded the most prestigious ADEPA prize in the country for its film "What I Experienced in Ukraine," while Mexican channel Milenio TV secured the Global Quality Award in Dubai for its production "Ukraine, a Year of Resistance," Rubryka reports.
What's the problem?
The full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine has captured global attention. However, in countries with no close ties to Ukraine, the understanding of events is often superficial, lacking context. As a result, public attention in these countries towards events in Ukraine is volatile and susceptible to Russian propaganda.
On November 7 this year, the US State Department revealed that the Russian government is financing a disinformation campaign in Latin America. The campaign aims to undermine support for Ukraine and promote anti-NATO and anti-American ideas. Russia plans to leverage established media connections within the campaign in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and other countries.
What's the solution?
The only effective countermeasure is to counter disinformation with the truth from Ukraine even better when influential local media broadcast this truth based on their own material.
This is precisely what the producers of TN and Milenio TV from Argentina and Mexico did. They embarked on missions with their teams to Ukraine to film documentaries about the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Image from "Ucrania, un año de resistencia"/"Ukraine, a Year of Resistance"
Their efforts were rewarded not only with thousands of views but also with significant accolades. Argentinian channel TN received the country's most prestigious ADEPA prize for the film "Lo que viví en Ucrania" ("What I Experienced in Ukraine"), while Mexican channel Milenio TV earned the Global Quality Award in Dubai for the film "Ucrania, un año de resistencia" ("Ucrania, un año de resistencia").
Image from "Lo que viví en Ucrania"/"What I Experienced in Ukraine"
How does it work?
What Latin Americans saw and revealed about Ukraine
Vincente Padilla, the producer of the Mexican TV channel Milenio TV, shared with Rubryka that the film resulted from extensive teamwork. The team included Vincente himself, along with Hugo Armando Lopez, Laura Cantu, and Alejandro Dominguez. He mentioned that the most challenging part was reaching Ukraine from Mexico through Poland.
"People in Ukraine are very kind and brave. Despite the hardships of war, they opened the doors of their country to us," said Vincente.
Photo: The team of the film "Ucrania, un año de resistencia" / "Ukraine, a Year of Resistance." Vincente Padilla holds a brochure / Photo provided by Vincente Padilla
Gonzalo Bañes, the producer of the Argentinian channel Todo Noticias (TN), also emphasized the efforts of the entire filming team. The team included Nelson Castro, Juan Pablo Cháves, Federico Gandolfi, and Gonzalo Bañes from Todo Noticias, and Oleksii Otkydach as a fixer in Ukraine.
Photo: TN channel team during filming in Ukraine / Photo provided by Gonzalo Bañes
"Shooting this documentary required months of work and detailed planning by both the team from Argentina and the team in Ukraine. In two weeks, we traveled almost three thousand kilometers along the front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces. We faced both expected and unexpected situations in these areas," said Gonzalo Bañes.
The most intense moments occurred when they were less than 600 meters from Russian forces in Bakhmut and on New Year's Eve in Kherson when a bomb exploded 200 meters from the television crew.
Photo: TN channel team in Ukraine / Photo provided by Gonzalo Bañes
"We had the opportunity to witness the suffering of Ukrainians who lost everything in their cities and villages, as well as their courage to fight for the complete expulsion of Russian occupiers," said Gonzalo Bañes. He had visited Ukraine twice to cover the Russian-Ukrainian war, first at the beginning of the full-scale invasion with journalist Carolina Amoroso.
"On February 26, I crossed the land border with Poland directly to Lviv for the first time," Gonzalo shared.
Photo: TN channel team with fixer Oleksii Otkydach (second from the right) in Ukraine / Photo provided by Gonzalo Bañes
The second trip was during Christmas and New Year with journalist Nelson Castro, and it was for this work that the channel received recognition.
Gonzalo Bañes said, "In both cases, I saw a country rich in natural resources but even more so in human resources. I was impressed by the courage and perseverance of people who want to fight for their land and their rights. We also received numerous words of support and gratitude for traveling from Argentina to show firsthand the aggression and abuse by Russia. I will forever remember the faces of thousands of people who, at the beginning of the war, sought to save themselves by evacuating the country and the soldiers who risk their lives every day on the front lines because they love their country."
On the importance of awards
Vincente Padilla, the producer of the Mexican TV channel Milenio TV, modestly commented on receiving the award: "Receiving an award is not the ultimate goal of journalistic work, but we are very grateful. This important award is recognition and comfort."
Gonzalo Bañes, the producer of the Argentinian channel Todo Noticias (TN), emphasized that the award is an excellent recognition of the coordinated work of the entire team: Nelson Castro, Juan Pablo Cháves, and Federico Gandolfi in Ukraine, supported by the editorial team of Todo Noticias (TN) in Argentina.
Photo: The TN channel team during filming in Ukraine / Photo provided by Gonzalo Bañes
"But above all, it is confirmation of the value of journalists' work — to be ready to tell and make visible the misfortunes experienced by people during unjust aggression, such as the Russian one. It is also a stimulus to fulfill the commitment to report on what is happening beyond Argentina. Ultimately, it is not only recognition of our work but also recognition of the Ukrainian people for their struggle and resilience in the face of Russian aggression," said Bañes.
Photo: Gonzalo Bañes and Alexey Otkidach / Photo provided by Gonzalo Bañes
Ukrainian Oleksii Otkydach served as a fixer for the Argentine team and assisted the Mexican channel as an expert in international relations. Recently, Rubryka discussed the specifics of the work of fixers, including Oleksii's experience.
Rubryka reported that the author of the Oscar-nominated film about the Revolution of Dignity, "Winter on Fire," American director Evgeny Afineevsky, is shooting a documentary in the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN about children wounded during the full-scale invasion.
