“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” a Netflix documentary about the EuroMaidan Revolution, has made it onto the Best Documentary Feature shortlist at the 2016 Academy Awards.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will next make a final selection to chose the five movies that will compete for a coveted Oscar. The winner will be announced at the 88th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2016.
“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” was co-produced by Ukraine (SPN production, Ukrstream.TV, Pray for Ukraine Productions), U.S (Netflix), and U.K. (Passion Pictures).
It is a chronicle of the EuroMaidan Revolution, which took place Ukraine in the winter of 2013-2014, and turned into a violent struggle between the Ukrainian people and the thuggish, corrupt and ultimately murderous regime of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych.
“There are no politicians in the film. This story is about the dignity of Ukrainians, and is told by activists and participants of the Maidan,” reads a comment by the movie’s Ukrainian producers, Lina Klebanova and Galyna Sadomtseva, in a press release sent out on Dec. 1.
“Very honored that ‘Winter on Fire’ was shortlisted for the (2016) Oscars race! Congratulations to the whole team! You rock!” wrote Evgeny Afineevsky, the director of the documentary on his Facebook page on Dec.1.
To select the video for the movie, the film crew watched 1,500 hours of EuroMaidan footage shot by Radio Liberty, Ukrainian television’s Channel 5 and Espresso TV, and material from more than 20 Ukrainian streamers and cameramen who filmed the whole EuroMaidan Revolution.
Since its premiere on Oct. 9 on Netflix, “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” has been seen by 2 million people. The documentary has 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.7 points out of 10 on IMDB.
But however well received, the movie is up against some stiff competition at the Oscars, including “Amy,” a British documentary about singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, and “He named me Malala,” a film about Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who advocates girls’ rights to education.
According to Volodymyr Voitenko, Ukrainian movie critic and the member of Ukrainian Oscar’s committee, “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” is the first movie co-produced by Ukrainians to be shortlisted for the Oscars.
Kyiv Post staff writer Veronika Melkozerova can be reached at [email protected]
