Four films related to Ukraine have been shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The shortlist was published on the award website.
"2000 Meters to Avdiivka" — Best Documentary
A film by director Mstyslav Chernov, winner of the 2024 Oscar for the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”. The film tells the story of two Ukrainian soldiers who must overcome 2000 meters of fortified Russian positions in the forest to liberate a strategically important village. In the film, Andriivka appears as a destroyed city surrounded by minefields.
Ukraine also submitted this film in the Best International Feature Film category, but it did not make the shortlist there.
"I Died in Irpin" — Best Animated Short Film
Director Anastasia Falileevaʼs 11-minute film tells the story of the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion through the directorʼs personal story. Anastasia and her boyfriend spent ten days in the besieged city and managed to leave with the last evacuation column.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors" — Best Short Fiction Film
A British film about the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, based on true events. Ivan and his father run a makeshift hospital on the front lines, but when enemy soldiers close in, Ivan takes up arms and heads to the battlefield to protect his father, his patients, and everything they stand for.
The film stars Ukrainian actors Oleksandr Rudynsky (Ivan), Serhiy Kalantay (Ivanʼs father Bohdan) and others.
"The Shyness of Trees" — Best Animated Short Film
A French film co-directed by Ukrainian Sofia Chuikovska. The story of 40-year-old Hélène, who comes to visit her aging mother in the French countryside. However, her mother is not acting as usual. She seems to have developed a strange connection with plants, insects, and an old oak tree at the end of her garden.
The next step will be the announcement of the nominees on January 22, and the 98th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.