Mstyslav CHERNOV
Korean Premiere
As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Ukraine news team of the Associated Press documented the 20th day of the city of Mariupol becoming a battlefield. The footage captures the anger and frustration of people hastily seeking shelter underground or fleeing the city, followed by scenes of indiscriminate bombings and the desperate efforts of society to care for the victims. It's an overwhelming situation. Despite challenging circumstances, the AP team managed to transmit records from the front lines, allowing the world to witness these scenes through news coverage. The film you mention can be seen primarily as a collection of these records. However, it differs from news clips. The title of the film, "20 Days," not only signifies factual information about the recorded events but also encapsulates an experiential duration that goes beyond merely documenting an event. This "20 Days" represents an experience of time within the context of war—an experience that goes beyond proving a certain event occurred. It's a depiction of the unending deterioration and worsening of war, an experience of a time when there seemed to be no answers. Consequently, in the context of the ongoing history of humanity's wars driven by political conflicts for dominance, the world should focus not only on victory or defeat but on efforts aimed at stopping war and effecting change. The film emphasizes the need to channel all efforts towards halting war and creating a different future, beyond mere witnessing or reporting.
Mstyslav CHERNOV
Mstyslav Chernov is a Pulitzer Prize-winning video journalist at The Associated Press and president of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. Since joining AP in 2014, he has covered major conflicts, social issues, and environmental crises across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Most recently, Chernov documented Russia's invasion of Ukraine.