Ukrainian Documentaries on the Front Lines Rank Among Variety’s Best of 2025
The leading U.S. entertainment trade publication Variety has included two Ukrainian films in its annual list of the 29 best documentary features of 2025.
The Gaze reports this, referring to the organisation’s statement.
The selected films are “2000 Meters to Andriivka”, directed by Mstyslav Chernov, and “A Simple Soldier” by Artem Ryzhykov.
Chernov’s “2000 Meters to Andriivka” examines a single stretch of terrain near the village of Andriivka in the Kyiv region during the early phase of the full-scale invasion. The title refers to a distance that, in wartime conditions, becomes a fragile boundary between safety and mortal danger.
The film centers on the human dimension of war: soldiers holding positions, civilians enduring displacement, medics and volunteers working under constant threat. Through these stories, the film shows how a small rural community is transformed when it becomes a frontline location.
The documentary has already drawn substantial international attention. In the United Kingdom, The Guardian ranked it second among the country’s top films of 2025. The film has also been shortlisted as an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, further expanding its global visibility and festival presence.
Ryzhykov’s “A Simple Soldier” offers a markedly different, yet complementary, perspective. The director is an active member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, filming the war from inside a military unit rather than as an external observer.
The documentary deliberately shifts focus away from command structures and strategic overviews, instead portraying the daily reality of rank-and-file soldiers.
Variety’s annual documentary list traditionally brings together films that combine artistic merit, strong craftsmanship, and social relevance. In 2025, a significant portion of critical attention has focused on films addressing contemporary armed conflicts, with Ukraine’s experience emerging as one of the central themes.
According to international critics, the strength of the Ukrainian entries lies in their immediacy: the films are created not from a distant observational standpoint, but by filmmakers who either work directly in combat zones or are themselves participants in the war.
As The Gaze reported earlier, the documentary film "Antarctica" by Ukrainian video blogger Anton Ptushkin has evolved from a cinematic narrative into an international fundraising initiative in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Read more on The Gaze: Ukrainian Cinema: 9 Must-Watch Films That Define a Nation’s Spirit