Today, a meeting with the creators of the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol took place in Kyiv. This is the first Ukrainian film to win an Oscar. The meeting was held at the Central Railway Station, UNN reports with reference to Suspilne.
This is the first meeting in Ukraine with the creators of the film - Mstislav Chernov, Yevhen Malolhetka and Vasylisa Stepanenko - after they won the Oscars in March 2024, who brought Oscar and BAFTA statuettes to Ukraine.
"When people need hope, moments like the Oscars give them strength. They give us, the military, doctors, strength not to give up," Chernov said.
The filmmakers also mentioned the soldiers who helped escape from the besieged hospital in Mariupol - the 73rd SSO Center, noting that some of them are still fighting at the front.
Yevhen Maloletka also said that photos and videos from the city surrounded by Russians helped many people who were outside Mariupol to find their relatives.
"People were asking 'take us off'. They didn't expect anything to change, that NATO troops would come and break the blockade. It is important for people to know that they are heard," the creators add.
Even when the stories have been told, I want to make sure that Mariupol is not forgotten. Not only because Mariupol is the beginning of a full-scale war, but also because Mariupol has become a symbol of all the cities that were destroyed and occupied afterwards
They also said that many people at the meetings and screenings of the film said that they did not know that this really happened in Ukraine, or even thought it was a fake.
In addition, several screenings were held with the film's protagonists: "We tried to prove that this is a reality.