“20 Days in Mariupol” became a record-breaker on Ukrainian streaming platforms
26 March 2024 12:01
The Oscar-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, directed by Mstislav Chernov, became the leader in terms of views on the opening weekend on Ukrainian streaming services Takflix, Kyivstar TV, Megogo and Volya TV. This was reported by Forbes with reference to the press services of these platforms, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports.
“20 Days in Mariupol became the absolute leader in the number of views on the opening weekend on Takflix streaming. The press service noted that this is the highest figure in the history of the platform (since December 2019). Antonio Lukic’s My Thoughts Are Quiet and Nadiya Parfan’s Ivano-Frankivskteplocomunenergo Sings are the other films to leave behind.
On Kyivstar TV, the film also became a record-breaker for the entire period of the online cinema’s operation. From 21 to 24 March, it was among the top ten films with the most views among all VOD content.
In addition, the film set a record for documentaries on Megogo and became one of the leaders in the overall rating. The platform opened 21 thousand accesses to Mstislav Chernov’s work.
“This result demonstrates the deep respect of Ukrainians for the film’s team, their desire to celebrate and support Ukrainian cinema,”
– said Valeria Tolochina, Megogo’s marketing director, in a comment to Forbes.
On Volia TV, the film was watched by about 18% of the total number of users between 21 and 23 March. According to Forbes, the film garnered five times more views in three days compared to all other streaming films.
It is worth noting that 20 Days in Mariupol, directed by Mstislav Chernov, won Ukraine’s first ever Oscar for Best Documentary at the 96th Academy Awards.
On stage, director Mstislav Chernov said that he would have been happy not to receive the award, if only Russia had not launched a full-scale war against Ukraine.
Prior to the Oscars, Yevhen Maloletka, Mstislav Chernov and Vasilisa Stepanenko received the Shevchenko Prize for their series of journalistic materials about the siege of Mariupol (reports, photo and video reports, investigations and the film 20 Days in Mariupol).
The film “20 Days in Mariupol” – what is known
The film tells the story of the 20 days that director Mstislav Chernov spent with his colleagues in besieged Mariupol after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On the 21st day of the war, the journalists left Mariupol through the humanitarian corridor. At the end of the film, a text appears stating that the city was fully occupied by Russia after 86 days.
The film won the Audience Award for Best Foreign Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Ukrainian documentary 20 Days in Mariupol won a BAFTA award.
