Oscars international broadcast cuts ‘20 Days in Mariupol’ win
KYIV, Ukraine — The short- ened version of the interna- tional broadcast of the 96th Oscars faced harsh criticism in Ukraine for omitting the segment announcing the documentary feature award, which went to Mstyslav Cher- nov’s “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The documentary, a col- laboration between The Associated Press and PBS’ “Frontline,” is a harrowing first-person account set in the Ukrainian port city during the early days of Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Ukraine’s public broad- caster Suspilne, the exclu- sive broadcaster of the Oscars in the country, published a statement of indignation on Monday.
“Our team was shocked and deeply disappointed when we did not see the category for Best Feature
Documentary in the international version, where ‘20 Days in Mariupol’ was justly awarded,” said Lukian Halkin, executive producer of the Suspilne Kultura TV channel.
According to Disney, the official international licensing agent for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, decisions were made weeks in advance of Sunday’s telecast on which portions and categories to omit for the condensed version of the show.
International licensees receive two versions of the broadcast: the live version and a 90-minute version, produced by the film academy The truncated version, which does include a recap of the cut winners, includ- ing “20 Days in Mariupol,” is often preferred by inter- national broadcasters, Dis- ney says. Suspilne said that instead of the shortened ver- sion, it showed Ukrainian
viewers the unedited cut.
“Mstyslav Chernov’s pow- erful speech emphasized the unity between Ukraine and the world, which makes it all the more disappointing to see this episode full of truth and power excluded from the version distributed
to the Oscars’ global licens- ees,” Halkin said.
The film academy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision to cut the documen- tary category.
The edited version also sparked criticism on various social media platforms in Ukraine, where the doc- umentary’s Academy Award was hailed as a bittersweet but welcome victory.
“The fact that Ukraine received its first Oscar, and that the world will see again the horrors that the Russian army committed in Mariu- pol, is certainly a victory of truth over falsehood,” Oleksii Kurka, a Kyiv office worker, told the AP.
The AP team of Chernov, photographer Evgeniy Malo- letka and producer Vasil- isa Stepanenko arrived an hour before Russia began bombing the port city. Two weeks later, they were the last journalists working for an international outlet still in the city, sending crucial dispatches to the outside world showing civilian casu- alties of all ages, the digging of mass graves, the bomb- ing of a maternity hospital and the sheer extent of the devastation.
The Oscar — and the nomination — was a first for both Chernov, an AP video journalist, and the 178-year-old news organization. The documentary was a joint production of the AP and PBS’ “Frontline.” It was the first win for “Frontline” after two previous nominations.
Statuettes were awarded to Chernov, producer and editor Michelle Mizner and producer Raney Aronson-rath. Maloletka, Stepanenko and Derl Mccrudden, an AP vice president and credited producer on the film, were among those onstage to accept the award.
“We can make sure that the history record is set straight and the truth will prevail, and that the people of Mariupol, and those who have given their lives, will never be forgotten,” Chernov said from the Oscar stage.
“Because cinema forms memories and memories form history.”