The film "2000 Meters to Andriivka" will represent Ukraine in the "Best International Feature Film" category at the 98th Academy Awards®, the Ukrainian Oscar Committee announced on Thursday, UNN writes.
The Ukrainian Oscar Committee selected Mstyslav Chernov's film "2000 Meters to Andriivka" to represent Ukraine in the "Best International Feature Film" category at the 98th Academy Awards®.
The decision was made by the 12-member Ukrainian Oscar Committee, film industry experts, including filmmakers and film critics, selected by voting members of the Ukrainian Film Academy.
It is an uncompromisingly honest and poignant documentary that immerses one in the reality of the Russian-Ukrainian war through human experience – fragile, exhausting, and at the same time full of dignity. This Ukrainian film must become even more visible in the world, because it speaks on behalf of those who defend freedom and the right to life every day
Mstyslav Chernov on the committee's decision:
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 that the voices of Ukraine and Ukrainian military personnel are heard. This seems especially important now, when a massive shelling of Kyiv occurred this morning. I receive the news of the selection while filming how civilian bodies are being pulled from under the rubble. And this places an even greater responsibility on us, documentarians, artists – to speak to the world, to shout to it about what is happening, even when it seems futile.
The "shortlist" of 15 films in the "Best International Feature Film" category will be announced on December 16, 2025.
The five nominated films will be announced on January 22, 2026.
The 98th Academy Awards® ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026.
About the film "2000 Meters to Andriivka"
From the Academy Award® winners, the creators of "20 Days in Mariupol", "2000 Meters to Andriivka" reveals the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war through a personal and painful perspective.
After his historical chronicle of civilian casualties in Mariupol, Mstyslav Chernov turns his lens on Ukrainian soldiers - who they are, where they came from, and what incredibly difficult decisions they have to make in the trenches, fighting for every piece of their native land.
It is stated that Chernov, along with AP colleague Oleksiy Babenko, accompany a Ukrainian brigade that is breaking through approximately 2000 meters of densely fortified forest, performing a combat mission to liberate the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka. Combining author's footage, intense video from Ukrainian soldiers' body cameras, and powerful moments of personal reflection, "2000 Meters to Andriivka" shows with chilling intimacy: the further the military advances through their devastated homeland, the deeper they realize - for them, this war may have no end.
The world premiere of the film "2000 Meters to Andriivka" took place at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025, where the film received an award for best directing in the World Cinema Documentary category. The Ukrainian premiere took place at the Docudays UA festival, where the film won in three categories at once. From August 28, the film is in wide release in Ukraine.
For reference
The Ukrainian Oscar Committee is an independent association of professionals in the film industry, established in 2006 under the Association of Producers of Ukraine. A memorandum of cooperation was concluded by the Association of Producers of Ukraine, the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Film Academy, and the Ukrainian Institute. The Committee is engaged in the annual selection and nomination of a film from Ukraine for the Academy Award® of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the "Best International Feature Film" category.