The documentary 20 Days in Mariupol by Kharkiv-based Mstyslav Chernov has been longlisted for the British Academy of Television and Film Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards in two categories: Best Documentary and Film Not in English.

Voting at the BAFTA Film Awards takes place in three stages: the longlist, the nominations and the winners, which are voted for by BAFTA members worldwide, consisting of more than 7,500 creatives and practitioners in the film industry.

In 2021, a Long List round was introduced to showcase more films and the people behind them earlier in the awards process. To ensure a level playing field and fair consideration of all films, regardless of their marketing budget, all voters receive a randomly selected sample of 15 movies before voting in the first round.

  • The first round of voting (from December 8 to December 29, 2023) determined the long lists announced today.
  • The second round of voting (which starts today, January 5, and runs until Friday, January 12) will determine the nominees, which will be announced on January 18. The respective sections vote on the categories in the first and second rounds or juries of BAFTA members, except Best Picture, which is voted on by all BAFTA members voting for the film.
  • The third round of voting (from Friday January 19 to Tuesday February 13) will determine the winners, who will be announced at the EE BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday February 18. The third round is voted on by the relevant sections or juries made up of BAFTA members and all BAFTA members who vote for the film. Please refer to the table below for more information.

20 Days in Mariupol

The film 20 Days in Mariupol is the directorial debut of war correspondent (with experience in Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Libya, Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan), photographer, videographer and writer Mstyslav Chernov.

Photographer Yevhen Malolietka and producer and journalist Vasylisa Stepanenko also created the film. They were the last journalists to cover the beginning of Russia’s destruction of Mariupol, and all three of them won the Pulitzer Prize.

The film tells the story of the beginning of a full-scale war in Mariupol, the attack of the Russian occupiers on the city on 24 February 2022. It shows 20 days of events to come, including the bombing of residential buildings and a maternity hospital, the lives of people in the blockaded city and endless shelling.

The documentary 20 Days in Mariupol got several Ukrainian and international awards. 

  • Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival (2023);
  • “F:ACT” award at the CPH:DOX film festival (2023) (nomination);
  • Greg Gund Memorial Award (2023);
  • Cinema for Peace Award (2023);
  • The main prize in the DOCU/UKRAINE competition and the Audience Award of the Docudays festival (2023).

More from Gwara

“Everything You’ve Seen in the Movie is Everyday Reality in Ukraine.” Gwara visited 20 Days in Mariupol premiere in Kharkiv on August 31, 2023.