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Ukrainian documentary 'Porcelain War' nominated for Oscar

by Tim Zadorozhnyy January 23, 2025 6:37 PM 1 min read

Directors (L-R) Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev hold the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary for their film Porcelain War during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Awards at The Ray on Jan. 26, 2024 in Park City, Utah. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

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The Ukrainian documentary "Porcelain War" has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Jan. 23.

Directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev, the film tells the story of three Kharkiv artists who joined the Ukrainian army while continuing to create porcelain figurines as an act of cultural resistance during Russia's full-scale invasion.

True story — these are your Documentary Feature nominees... #Oscars pic.twitter.com/CA44rrfPZ8
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 23, 2025

The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Independent Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix in the documentary competition, and has since earned 45 awards and 31 nominations, including recognition from the U.S. Directors Guild Award.

This marks the second consecutive year a Ukrainian documentary has been nominated for an Oscar. In 2024, Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov's "20 Days in Mariupol" made history as the first Ukrainian film to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The film, shot during the Russian siege of Mariupol, comprised 30 hours of raw footage documenting the city's destruction and the human suffering caused by the invasion.

Author: Tim Zadorozhnyy

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