- Category
- Latest news
Ukraine Selects Mstyslav Chernov’s "2,000 Meters to Andriivka" as Official Oscar Entry
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
The Ukrainian Oscar Committee has selected Mstyslav Chernov’s documentary 2,000 Meters to Andriivka as Ukraine’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
“This is an uncompromisingly honest and piercing documentary that immerses viewers in the reality of the Russian-Ukrainian war through the human experience—fragile, exhausting, and at the same time filled with dignity. This Ukrainian film must gain even greater visibility worldwide, as it speaks on behalf of those who defend freedom and the right to life every single day,” the Committee said in its statement on August 28.
Mstyslav Chernov expressed gratitude for the decision, stressing the special responsibility of Ukrainian documentarians in times of war: “It is an honor for us to represent Ukraine in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards. We will do everything possible to ensure the voices of Ukraine and Ukrainian soldiers are heard. Right now, this feels especially important, as Kyiv came under a massive morning bombardment.”
He said he learned about the film’s selection while documenting rescuers pulling civilian bodies from the rubble, adding that this moment placed an even greater responsibility on documentarians and artists to speak to the world and draw attention to what is happening, even when it might seem futile.
2,000 Meters to Andriivka was created by the team behind the Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol. While that film chronicled the devastation inflicted on civilians during the siege of Mariupol, Chernov’s new work shifts the focus to Ukrainian soldiers—who they are, where they came from, and the extraordinarily difficult decisions they must make on the front line.
Against the backdrop of the unsuccessful 2023 counteroffensive, Chernov, together with Associated Press colleague Oleksii Babenko, follows a Ukrainian brigade advancing through roughly 2,000 meters of heavily fortified forest to carry out a mission to liberate the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka.
Earlier, it was reported that Oscar-winning Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov started work on a new documentary focused on peace negotiations.
The filmmaker behind 20 Days in Mariupol—Ukraine’s first-ever Academy Award winner—was seen in the United States during a summit with Ukrainian and EU leaders.
