'20 Days in Mariupol' director excoriates Russia in Oscars acceptance speech

The director of a film about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, accepting the Academy Award for best documentary feature on Sunday night, forcefully condemned Moscow in one of the most powerful speeches of the ceremony.

Mstyslav Chernov, the director behind the Oscar-winning feature "20 Days in Mariupol," told the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles that he wished there had never been a reason to make the film in the first place.

"I wish to be able to exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities," Chernov said, speaking deliberately and clutching his Oscar statuette. "I wish to give all the recognition to Russia not killing tens of thousands of my fellow Ukrainians. I wish for them to release all the hostages, all the soldiers who are protecting the land, all the civilians who are now in their jails."

"But I cannot change the history," Chernov added. "I cannot change the past."

"20 Days in Mariupol" is Chernov's harrowing first-person chronicle of the time he spent in the besieged Ukrainian city immediately after Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion in February 2022.

The film, a joint production of The Associated Press and PBS, drew wide acclaim, earning a place on the National Board of Review's list of the top five documentaries of 2023. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and later screened at the beginning of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Chernov's triumph at the Oscars comes as supplemental military aid to Ukraine remains held up in Congress and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struggles to hold his defense lines against Moscow's troops.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

In his acceptance speech, the director said cinema has the power to inform and shape the future: "We can make sure history record is set straight and that the truth will prevail," he said, adding that "cinema forms memories, and memories form history."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Chernov’s speech appeared to leave the Oscars audience in stunned silence, and it drew immediate attention on social media, where many users praised him for using his platform to draw attention to Ukraine's battle against Russia.

"This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history, and I’m honored," Chernov said at the beginning of his speech, visibly emotional.

The other nominees in the best documentary feature category this year were "Bobi Wine: The People's President," "The Eternal Memory," "Four Daughters" and "To Kill a Tiger."