Communiqué
An award-winning film from the last international journalists inside the Russian siege, “20 Days in Mariupol” on FRONTLINE – Nov. 21 at 10 pm
< < Back to an-award-winning-film-from-the-last-international-journalists-inside-the-russian-siege-20-days-in-mariupol-on-frontline-nov-21-at-10-pmAward-winning FRONTLINE, AP Film ‘20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL’ to Premiere on PBS
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
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Nominated for 5 Critics Choice Documentary Awards including Best Documentary
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature by The Gotham Awards
Winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary
This November, FRONTLINE, the PBS documentary series, and The Associated Press will present the U.S. broadcast premiere of 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL: a visceral, first-person view of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, told through the perspective of filmmaker and Ukrainian AP video journalist Mstyslav Chernov.
The film follows Chernov as he and his Ukrainian AP colleagues remain trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol, struggling to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. After nearly a decade covering international conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war for The Associated Press, 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is Mstyslav Chernov’s first feature film.
Chernov and his colleagues, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, were the last international reporters to remain in Mariupol as Russian troops attacked the city. Together, the 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists documented what would become defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.
Produced and edited by FRONTLINE’s Michelle Mizner, 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL draws on Chernov’s daily news dispatches and personal footage of his own country at war. The result is a raw and haunting account of a journalist risking his life to share the truth of the conflict with the world.
FRONTLINE’s editor-in-chief and executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath and AP’s vice president of news and head of global news production Derl McCrudden also produced the documentary.
Made in partnership with The Associated Press, 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL has had a decorated run on the 2023 film festival circuit — including winning the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary and the Tim Hetherington Award at Sheffield Film Festival. The film was also honored with DocEdge Film Festival’s awards for “Best International Director” and “Best International Editing.”
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL was also selected by Ukraine as its pick for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Academy Awards.
“As we continue to share 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL with audiences around the world, we hope this film can serve as a historical documentation of what Ukrainian civilians have endured in this conflict,” says Aronson-Rath. “We’re proud to bring this documentary to our public media audiences, grateful to our colleagues at The Associated Press for their partnership on this film, as well as to GBH, PBS and CPB for supporting this critical storytelling.”
“20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is a testament to the power and importance of eyewitness journalism,” said AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Julie Pace. “Though difficult to watch, it’s essential for the world to see the facts as they unfolded. We are so pleased to have worked with FRONTLINE on this important project.”
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL premieres on PBS and will be available to stream on YouTube on Tuesday, November 21 at 10/9c (check local PBS listings). The film will also be available to stream on pbs.org/frontline, in the PBS App, and in the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel at 7/6c. 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is distributed domestically by PBS Distribution and internationally by Dogwoof.