Oscar 2025. Five Ukrainian films included in the film award lists: what is known

The American Film Academy has published qualifying lists of films that have a chance to be nominated for the 97th Academy Awards to be held in March 2025. The list includes five films created by Ukrainian filmmakers or in collaboration with Ukrainian artists.

It is worth noting that most of the films deal with the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian war. This became known from the official website of the Oscars. Currently, you can see the probable nominees for the International Feature Film, Animated Feature Film, and Documentary Feature Film categories. In total, they include 169 works.

La Palisiada

According to representatives of the Ukrainian Film Academy in September 2024, the film La Palisiada by Philip Sotnychenko will compete for an Oscar in the International Feature Film category. The events of the film take the viewer back to 1996, after the restoration of Ukraine's independence and shortly before the death penalty was banned. The plot centers on two friends, a detective and a forensic psychiatrist, who are investigating the murder of their police colleague. The story turns out to be confusing, and the deceased's wife, who does not give the police peace of mind, adds fuel to the fire.

Under the Volcano

In early fall, the Polish Oscar Committee presented the film Under the Volcano by Damian Kocur as an Oscar nominee in the International Feature Film category. The film, starring Ukrainians, tells the story of the Kovalenko family, who have planned a vacation to Tenerife. However, the news of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine catches the characters there. From tourists, the Kovalenko's turn into refugees, finding refuge on the resort island. The story is told from the point of view of their teenage daughter Sofia.

After the Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home

The film by Canadian director Sarah McCartney and Ukrainian producers, which may be nominated in the Feature Documentary category, tells the story of children who were illegally taken by Russian barbarians. The young Ukrainians managed to return to their homeland, but now the main characters of the film are recovering from their traumatic experience.

Porcelain War

A likely nominee in the Feature Documentary category, Porcelain War by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontiev depicts the story of three Ukrainian artists - Leontiev himself, his wife Ania Stasenko and their friend Andriy Stefanov. The artists stayed in Kharkiv, which has been under constant rocket fire since the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Intercepted

Another possible nominee in the Feature Documentary category, Oksana Karpovych's documentary Peaceful People consists of intercepted conversations of the Russian occupiers. The filmmaker listened to more than 30 hours of recordings, which were previously published on social networks of the SBU and special services.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote about how the popular Netflix series featured a Ukrainian folk song: how Petra's Aria from the opera "Natalka Poltavka" sounds.

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