US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences responds to Ukraine's request to include the awarding of 20 Days in Mariupol in the TV version of the Oscars

The international abridged version of the Oscars 2024 will include a cut part of the awarding of the team of the Ukrainian documentary 20 Days in Mariupol directed by Mstyslav Chernov. Following complaints from Suspilne, the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to re-release the updated 90-minute part of the award due to the unfair treatment of both Ukrainians and last year's editions, where the Best Documentary Film award was added to the TV version.

According to Deadline magazine, the Oscar for 20 Days in Mariupol will be included not only in the Ukrainian TV version but also in all those covered by the Disney license. Therefore, Chernov's crucial 45-second speech about the true nature of Russians will be heard by the whole world.

In particular, the film company has previously stated that the selection of categories and moments that will be included in the 90-minute version takes place in advance, even before the show starts. For some reason, its representatives decided to cut out the part with the Best Documentary award along with the director's speech, even though they could have predicted that there were significant chances for the Ukrainians to win.

"Here's a bold fact: last year's documentary category was included in the 90-minute international version, as was Yulia Navalnaya's political speech. I don't really believe that Disney is planning the script of the 90-minute version without taking into account the winners' predictions as it doesn't sound convincing for a high-performance show. 20 Days in Mariupol is not only an outstanding documentary, it is a unique testimony to Russian crimes, and the entire team literally risked their lives to make it. That is why it is extremely important to have this historic event and Mstyslav Chernov's historic speech included in all versions," Lukian Halkin, executive producer of Suspilne Culture, told Deadline.

As a reminder, along with Suspilne, the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting also appealed to Disney to return the cut part of the 20 Days in Mariupol award. In the letter, the institution noted that by its decision to cut the part with the awarding of the statuette and Chernov's speech, the company tolerates Russia in its war against Ukraine, since last year the cynical liberal award for the film about Alexei Navalny was included in the shortened version of the Oscars.

As previously reported, the film 20 Days in Mariupol was released in cinemas on March 14 again. In addition, the movie can be viewed on paid streaming services. Some of them offer a free trial subscription.

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