Director Mstyslav Chernov while accepting the Best Documentary Feature Oscar for 20 Days In Mariupol: “This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history. And I’m honored. But probably I’ll be the first director on this stage who will say, ‘I wish I never made this film’. I wish I could exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities.” “I cannot change the history, I cannot change the past. But all together – among you, some of the most talented people in the world – we can make sure the record is set straight, and the truth will prevail. And that the people of Mariupol and those who have given their lives will never be forgotten. Cinema forms memories, and memories form history.”
