20 Days in Mariupol

On 24 February 2022, the Russian siege of Mariupol, a city in eastern Ukraine, began. The fighting, which would ultimately end in May of that year with the capitulation of Ukrainian troops, was intense, brutal and cruel, with civilians not being spared. It is estimated that the fighting claimed the lives of 25,000 civilians and the city was almost completely destroyed. The Red Cross described the situation there as apocalyptic. Not long after, stories emerged of Russian soldiers committing war crimes on a large scale.

War journalist and filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov was trapped in Mariupol for twenty days during the battle. But he continued to work, continuing to document the violence of war. With all the footage he had gathered, he compiled this impressive documentary with the help of the American press agency Associated Press – a report of hell on earth. It earned him many film awards, including the Oscar for Best Feature Documentary.