Ukraine picks documentary on women surviving Russian sexual violence for its Oscars submission
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The film "Traces," about Ukrainian women seeking justice after surviving Russian sexual violence and torture during the full-scale war, has been selected as Ukraine’s submission for the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, the Ukrainian Oscar Committee said Sept. 16.
"This year’s selection was not an easy one — the competition featured strong and deserving films, each of which speaks in its own way about Ukraine and the experience we are living through today," a statement released by the committee reads.
"Despite the extraordinary complexity of its subject matter, ("Traces") employs a delicate and compelling cinematic language that does not alienate the viewer, but instead allows them to draw closer to the protagonists, hear them, and empathize with them."
"Traces" has already earned multiple recognitions on the festival circuit, including the Berlinale, Movies That Matter in The Hague, and Millennium Docs Against Gravity. It was also included among the top 20 audience favorites at Toronto’s Hot Docs documentary festival.
Eight films were submitted to the Ukrainian Oscar Committee for consideration this year, including "Killhouse," an action thriller based on a real-life rescue mission conducted by Ukraine's military and special services.
The list also included the anthology film "War Through the Eyes of Animals," which features American actor Sean Penn.
Ukraine won its first Oscar in 2024 for Mystyslav Chernov's "20 Days in Mariupol," a firsthand documentation of Russia's siege on the eastern port city during the first weeks of the full-scale war in 2022.
