Screening

About 20 Days in Mariupol

An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting atrocities of the Russian invasion. As the only international reporters who remain in the city, they capture what later become defining images of the war: dying children, mass graves, the bombing of a maternity hospital, and more. 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 and draws on his daily news dispatches and personal footage of his own country at war. It offers a vivid, harrowing account of civilians caught in the siege, as well as a window into what it’s like to report from a conflict zone, and the impact of such journalism around the globe. [95 min; documentary; English, Ukrainian, and Russian with English subtitles]

Q&A to follow with Aonghus Kelly, Head of War Crimes Prosecution for EU Advisory Mission Ukraine, and Kelly Eskew, Clinical Professor of Business Law & Ethics and Director of Education for the Kelley Institute for Environmental and Social Sustainability.

Aonghus Kelly is an Irish lawyer, former executive director of the Irish Rule of Law International, a charitable organization established to promote the rule of law in international development by the bars and law societies of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In September 2022, Kelly was seconded by the Irish government to work at the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) to Ukraine as Head of the War Crimes Prosecution Unit. He currently lives in Kyiv. He has a particular focus on international crimes affecting the environment and serves as Environmental Focal Point for the organization. Kelly has held a series of appointments in the field of human rights and war crimes that include representation of Iraqis tortured by British Forces, war crimes prosecutions in Bosnia and Kosovo, and work as a defense lawyer in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the so-called Khmer Rouge court. He has also worked on criminal justice issues in Libya, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania. In addition to being admitted to the bar in Ireland, England-Wales, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, and Cambodia, Kelly holds an L.L.M. in International Human Rights Law, a diploma in Islamic Studies, and is currently completing a dissertation with the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (September 2024) at the University of Cambridge.

"This film ... should be taught in every journalism school, watched in every living room." — Camilla Long, Times (UK)

"The film is a cinematic tour de force that transcends the boundaries of traditional documentary-making, delivering a visceral and unforgettable account of war. 20 Days in Mariupol stands as one of the most impactful documentaries of our time." — Linda Marric, HeyUGuys

"If the film was 'only' a historical record of bravery, carried out in deep personal peril, it would still be valuable. And yet Chernov is determined to tell the whole truth of Mariupol, however bleak, surreal and all-too human." — Danny Leigh, Financial Times

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