Two films about the war in Ukraine made it to the shortlists for the 2025 Oscars

The Ukrainian documentary "Porcelain War" directed by Brendan Bellom and Slava Leontiev has been shortlisted for an Oscar by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The work was included in the "Documentary Feature Film" category.

"Porcelain War" is the story of three Ukrainian porcelain animal artists working against the backdrop of war. Despite the danger, they fill Kharkiv with art: they make porcelain figurines that decorate houses destroyed by Russian shelling.

And “Once Upon a Time in Ukraine” directed by Betsy West and Earl Mack was shortlisted in the “Documentary Short Film” nomination. The film was co-produced by Ukraine and the United States.

The film tells the story of the war in Ukraine through the eyes of children: how they creatively and imaginatively transformed yards and playgrounds destroyed by missiles, invented fairy tales where vegetable armies defeat Russian attackers, and continued Ukrainian traditions of music and dance in bombed-out studios.

The Oscar nominees will be announced on January 17, 2025. Academy members will vote for the winners from February 11 to 18, 2025.

The Oscars ceremony will take place on the night of March 3, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

• The long list of contenders for the 2025 Oscars includes three Ukrainian films — "La Palisade", "Porcelain War", and "Peaceful People".
• On March 11, 2024, the documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" by Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov became the first film from Ukraine to win an Oscar.

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