‘20 Days in Mariupol’ Director Mstyslav Chernov’s Sundance-Bound ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka’ Boarded by Dogwoof (EXCLUSIVE)
Dogwoof has acquired international sales rights for “2000 Meters in Andriivka” by Ukrainian filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov, director of the 2024 Academy Award winner for best documentary “20 Days in Mariupol.” “2000 Meters in Andriivka” is set to have its world premiere Jan. 23 at Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
Dogwoof will launch international sales for the film at Sundance. The documentary will be distributed by PBS Distribution in North America. It marks Dogwoof’s second collaboration with Chernov, PBS’s “Frontline” and the Associated Press following “20 Days in Mariupol.”
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“20 Days in Mariupol” offered audiences a visceral view of the first days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its civilian toll. Now, in “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” Chernov turns his lens toward Ukrainian soldiers — who they are, where they came from, and the impossible decisions they face in the trenches as they fight for every inch of land.
Amid a failing counteroffensive in 2023, Chernov and his AP colleague Alex Babenko follow a Ukrainian platoon traversing through one mile of a heavily fortified forest on their mission to liberate the small, Russian-occupied village of Andriivka. But as “2000 Meters to Andriivka” reveals the farther the soldiers advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end.
Weaving together Ukrainian Army bodycam footage and moments of reflection, Chernov captures the war in his own country from a personal and devastating vantage point. “2000 Meters to Andriivka” documents a battle emblematic of the broader Russian-Ukraine War — the largest military operation in Europe since World War II — and presents a view of modern warfare reminiscent of battles fought nearly a century ago.
Dogwoof’s chief content officer Oli Harbottle said: “After the universal acclaim for ‘20 Days in Mariupol,’ Mstyslav has not only cemented his position as one of the most fearless frontline journalists in the field but has built upon it to deliver an incredibly immersive and cinematic piece of filmmaking to depict the tragic hopelessness of war for those fighting on the ground. We’re honored to be reuniting with PBS ‘Frontline’ and the Associated Press to bring this extraordinary film to audiences around the world.”
“We are pleased to once again be working with Dogwoof to bring this important eyewitness journalism to audiences globally,” AP senior vice president and executive editor Julie Pace said. “’2000 Meters to Andriivka’ provides an unflinching view of the ongoing war in Ukraine, showing the reality of what is happening on the ground.”
The film is produced by “Frontline’s” senior editor and producer Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath, the show’s editor-in-chief and executive producer. It is edited by Mizner. The film is co-produced and includes additional cinematography by Babenko. The music is composed by two-time Grammy Award-winning composer and music producer Sam Slater (“Chernobyl,” “Joker”).
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