Ukrainian Film “2000 Meters to Andriivka” Selected as Top 5 Documentary of 2025 by US Critics

The Ukrainian documentary film 2000 Meters to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov has been named one of the top five documentary films of 2025 by the US National Society of Film Critics.

Chernov's work, which highlights the struggles and resilience of Ukrainian civilians amidst the ongoing war, has received widespread recognition. Alongside 2000 Meters to Andriivka, other notable entries in the prestigious list include Come See Me in the Good Light, My Mom Jayne, Natchez, and Orwell: 2+2=5.

However, at the 35th annual Gotham Awards in 2025, which traditionally marks the start of the film awards season in the United States, Chernov’s film was narrowly defeated in the Best Documentary Film category by American director of Russian descent Julia Loktev’s My Undesirable Friends: Part I – The Last Air in Moscow.

Loktev’s film portrays the experiences of “independent” Russian journalists who have been persecuted by the government and forced to flee Russia after the invasion.

According to Deadline, the documentary, which focuses on journalists branded as “foreign agents” by Putin’s regime, also won the Indie Film Site Network Advocate Award in November, defeating several top contenders for the Oscars.

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Culture

Ukraine’s Most Gut-Wrenching War Stories Just Hit the Big Screen at Docudays UA

Jun 19, 2025 16:39

Chernov's nominated documentary captures the story of a Ukrainian platoon tasked with crossing a heavily fortified forest to free a strategically vital village from Russian occupation. The film, shot through the eyes of a journalist embedded with the soldiers, documents their intense journey across a war-ravaged terrain. As they move further into Ukrainian territory, they are faced with the harsh reality that the war may not have an end in sight.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Oscar Committee chose Mstyslav Chernov’s documentary 2,000 Meters to Andriivka as the country's official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

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