Focus magazine's "Ukrainian of the Year" award goes to Myroslav Chernov, who won an Oscar for the film "20 Days in Mariupol."

Mstislav's career began at the Kharkiv news agency MediaPort. He covered the Euromaidan protests in 2013-2014, the war in eastern Ukraine, the aftermath of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 disaster, as well as the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. His photographs have been published by leading global media outlets: The New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Le Monde, and Deutsche Welle.

The Associated Press filming team, led by Mstislav Chernov, arrived in the coastal city of Donetsk region on February 23, 2022. They reached Mariupol just one hour before Russia's full-scale invasion. After the metropolis was surrounded, Chernov and Maloleetka documented the war crimes of the occupiers in Mariupol for three weeks. They recorded 30 hours of video, but were only able to send 40 minutes over the internet. The remaining material was smuggled out with significant risk on hard drives through Russian checkpoints. Many of these images circulated in global media, and the photo from the shelled maternity hospital No. 3 featuring mother Irina Kalinina, who soon died from her injuries, became a symbol of the barbaric invasion.

The success of the film about the blockade of Mariupol holds historical significance. Firstly, it is the first Ukrainian film to be nominated for an Academy Award. No national film had achieved this since 2003. Secondly, it immediately won the most prestigious award in the world of cinema. Notably, aside from the shocking footage, the original structure of "20 Days" with Chernov's commentary stands out.

From the stage in Los Angeles on March 11, Mstislav delivered a powerful speech that became widely quoted: "I am grateful. But surely I will be the first director on this stage who would rather not have made this film. I wish I could trade this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities," the director stated. "I would give this award to ensure that Russia does not kill my fellow countrymen and releases all Ukrainian soldiers and civilians currently in prisons. But I cannot change the past. However, we can all ensure that the truth prevails. The people of Mariupol, like all others who gave their lives, will never be forgotten. Because cinema shapes memories, and memories shape history. So thank you all, thank you Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!"

At the press conference following the Oscar ceremony, Mstislav Chernov reminded everyone that Ukraine still needs support: "I want to remind you that yesterday marked the anniversary of the attack on the maternity hospital in Mariupol. This is an important and symbolic moment. This moment has become a symbol of the war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. Unfortunately, the issue of helping Ukraine has become a subject of debate among politicians worldwide. I hope our film will remind everyone: this is a humanitarian catastrophe, not a political issue. It is a matter of helping people who are being attacked and killed. Mariupol represents all Ukrainian cities that have been destroyed. We have the honor to speak about Ukraine and these cities that have been occupied, reminding the world that it is important to help and think about how to stop this invasion."

For this film, Chernov also received the Pulitzer Prize, the BAFTA-2024 for "Best Documentary," the Directors Guild of America Award, and the National Taras Shevchenko Award in Ukraine. Recently, exhibitions of Mstislav Chernov's photographs have taken place in nearly every corner of the globe: the USA, Canada, Czech Republic, France, India, Germany, Georgia, Italy, Ukraine, and other countries.

Currently, Chernov is finishing work on a new film about the Ukrainian Armed Forces' counteroffensive in 2023. He and his team are editing the film in the USA. "We are currently sleeping in the editing room," the director shared during Kyiv Media Week-2024 in early October.

The director filmed part of the material in June, July, and October 2023 during the Ukrainian army's advance in the Kherson direction, and in August and September of the same year, he documented events in Avdiivka and Klishchiivka, near Bakhmut.

Chernov mentioned that it is not easy to find funding abroad for films about war, even though he already has a name: "Investors are wary of investing during production if the hero or director might die. It’s much easier to find money for a finished product."

Mstislav Chernov believes that over the past ten years, a new generation of talented Ukrainian documentary filmmakers has "grown" from photographers.

"I am confident that their work is now just as important as that of the military, medics, volunteers, or rescuers, as future generations will learn about what is happening now thanks to them," Chernov asserts.

The director has been invited to be a part of the Academy Awards jury in 2025.