Two films about war in Ukraine shortlisted for 2025 Oscars

Two documentaries about the war in Ukraine have been shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards. They are Porcelain War, directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontiev, and Once Upon a Time in Ukraine, directed by Betsy West.

Source: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on 17 December

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists in ten categories: Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound, and Visual Effects.

Porcelain War, a co-production between the United States, Ukraine and Australia, has been shortlisted in the Documentary Feature Film category.

The documentary tells the story of three artists from Kharkiv who remain in the frontline city and, despite the dangers, fill it with art by adorning ruined buildings with porcelain figurines. One of the directors, Slava Leontiev, is also one of the film's main protagonists and is now defending Ukraine on the front lines.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Films. Its Ukrainian premiere took place at the American Independence Film Festival in May 2024.

Another film about the war in Ukraine, the short documentary Once Upon a Time in Ukraine, has been shortlisted in the Documentary Short Film category. This film, a co-production between Ukraine and the United States, focuses on the lives of children under wartime conditions.

Two other Ukrainian documentaries – Peaceful People by director Oksana Karpovych and After the Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home by Canadian director Sarah McCarthy – did not make the shortlist in the Documentary Feature Film category.  

Additionally, Ukraine's submission for International Feature Film, La Palisiada by Philip Sotnychenko, and Poland's submission, Under the Volcano by Damian Kocur, failed to make the shortlist in their category.

About the 2025 Oscars

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on 3 March 2025. As usual, it will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

This year, American comedian Conan O'Brien will host the event, taking over from television host Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted the Oscars four times: first in 2017 and then in 2018, 2023, and 2024.

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