20 Days in Mariupol

Tues., November 21, 2023
7/6c: pbs.org/frontline, PBS App YouTube, PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel
10/9c: PBS stations (check local listings), YouTube
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Nominated for 5 Critics Choice Documentary Awards including Best Documentary
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature by The Gotham Awards
Winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary

“Essential. A relentless and truly important documentary.”

– Jason Farago, The New York Times 

“A near-apocalyptic diary of life under siege… you’ll never watch TV news the same way again.”

– Matt Brennan, The Los Angeles Times 

“A brave, visceral, merciless masterpiece.”
– Ed Vulliamy, The Guardian 

This November, FRONTLINE, the PBS documentary series housed at GBH in Boston, and The Associated Press will present the U.S. broadcast premiere of 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL: a visceral, first-person view of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, told through the perspective of filmmaker and Ukrainian AP video journalist Mstyslav Chernov.

The film follows Chernov as he and his Ukrainian AP colleagues remain trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol, struggling to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. After nearly a decade covering international conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war for The Associated Press, 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is Mstyslav Chernov’s first feature film.

Chernov and his colleagues, photographer Evgeniy Maloletka and field producer Vasilisa Stepanenko, were the last international reporters to remain in Mariupol as Russian troops attacked the city. Together, the 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists documented what would become defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more.

Produced and edited by FRONTLINE’s Michelle Mizner, 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL draws on Chernov’s daily news dispatches and personal footage of his own country at war. The result is a raw and haunting account of a journalist risking his life to share the truth of the conflict with the world.

FRONTLINE’s editor-in-chief and executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath and AP’s vice president of news and head of global news production Derl McCrudden also produced the documentary.

Made in partnership with The Associated Press, 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL has had a decorated run on the 2023 film festival circuit — including winning the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary and the Tim Hetherington Award at Sheffield Film Festival. The film was also honored with DocEdge Film Festival’s awards for “Best International Director” and “Best International Editing.”

20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL was also selected by Ukraine as its pick for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Academy Awards.

“As we continue to share 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL with audiences around the world, we hope this film can serve as a historical documentation of what Ukrainian civilians have endured in this conflict,” says Aronson-Rath. “We’re proud to bring this documentary to our public media audiences, grateful to our colleagues at The Associated Press for their partnership on this film, as well as to GBH, PBS and CPB for supporting this critical storytelling.”

“20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is a testament to the power and importance of eyewitness journalism,” said AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Julie Pace. “Though difficult to watch, it’s essential for the world to see the facts as they unfolded. We are so pleased to have worked with FRONTLINE on this important project.”

20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL premieres on PBS and will be available to stream on YouTube on Tuesday, November 21 at 10/9c (check local PBS listings). The film will also be available to stream on pbs.org/frontline, in the PBS App, and in the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel at 7/6c. 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is distributed domestically by PBS Distribution and internationally by Dogwoof. 

About FRONTLINE
FRONTLINE, U.S. television’s longest running investigative documentary series, explores the issues of our times through powerful storytelling. FRONTLINE has won every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 106 Emmy Awards and 31 Peabody Awards. Visit pbs.org/frontline and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to learn more. FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.

About AP
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. Online: www.ap.org.

Press Contacts:
FRONTLINE (PBS)
Anne Husted, Manager, Public Relations and Communications
617-300-5312
anne_husted@wgbh.org

The Associated Press
Lauren Easton, Vice President, Corporate Communications
212-621-7005
leaston@ap.org

PBS Distribution
Sara Giustini
sbgiustini@pbs.org