Oscar-winning Ukrainian director screens harrowing new documentary about Avdiivka after Sundance Festival premiere

CHICAGO – Academy-award winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov presented his latest documentary, “2000 Meters to Avdiivka,” on May 4 at Chicago’s Doc10, a premier film festival dedicated exclusively to showcasing the most compelling nonfiction cinema from around the world. 

The 107-minute film delivers a gripping up-close enthralling portrayal of war that was captured in 2023 amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive to recapture territory Russia had taken in the Donetsk region. 

The harrowing depiction of the intense fighting followed several Ukrainian platoons as they grudgingly inched forward in a parched forested area surrounded by land mines for an attempted liberation of the industrial town of Avdiivka. 

Employing helmet mounted camera footage and marked by raw, intimate interviews with soldiers, Chernov reveals their vulnerability and humanity amid heavy fighting. 

By conveying the immediacy and chaos of war, Chernov – a native of Kharkiv — had wanted to document a successful military operation by members of the elite 3rd Assault Brigade, but the footage evolved into a poignant narrative of loss and endurance as the Ukrainian troops failed to meet their objective of freeing the strategic town. 

The film’s screening in Chicago follows its premier at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation and earned Chernov the Best Documentary Direction award in the World Cinema category.

Chernov, an Associated Press journalist, won an Oscar as the director of “20 Days in Mariupol.” The film can be watched free here.

Both of his documentaries were co-produced by PBS Frontline and the Associated Press. 

Once “2000 Meters to Avdiivka” completes the film festival circuit, it will be made available on PBS Frontline will release a broadcast date for free viewing.