Slovakia Nominates Film About Events in Ukraine for Oscar
Photophobia, a film about a Ukrainian family hiding in the subway from Russian shelling, has been nominated as a candidate from Slovakia for the 96th World Film Awards.
The film's team announced this on their Facebook page.
The film was created by the joint efforts of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine.
The film, directed by Ivan Ostrokhovsky and Pavol Pekářík, tells the story of 12-year-old Mykyta, a Ukrainian boy who lives with his parents at a Kharkiv metro station, hiding from the war started by Russia.
"Daylight is synonymous with deadly danger, so the boy is not allowed to go outside," the description of the film reads.
"As he aimlessly wanders through abandoned carriages and crowded platforms, Mykyta meets 11-year-old Vika, and a new world unfolds before him. As their connection deepens, the children find the courage to feel the sun on their faces once more."
It's worth noting that "Photophobia" has already received recognition at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the Europa Cinemas Label Award for "Best European Film."
At the Oscars, "Photophobia" will represent Slovakia in the category of "Best International Feature Film."
Ukraine has also revealed its candidate for this year's Oscars, which is the documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" by Ukrainian journalist and photographer Mstyslav Chernov. This documentary depicts the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including the bombing of a maternity hospital, and the rescue of the film's author and his colleagues from the besieged city of Mariupol by the Associated Press.
Chernov managed to capture around 30 hours of video footage during his time in Mariupol, but due to communication limitations, only approximately 40 minutes of the material could be published.
The world premiere of "20 Days in Mariupol" took place at the independent film festival "Sundance" in the United States, where it received the Audience Award.
Subsequently, the film won awards at the Cleveland International Film Festival, DocAviv, DocEdge, Cinema for Peace, Royal Television Society and the Tim Hetherington Special Award at the Sheffield DocFest 2023 in the UK.