Film about evacuation of Ukrainians 'From Where to Where' on Oscar shortlist for best documentary

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Hamela personally transported Ukrainians from Ukrainian regions under threat by Russian troops - Chernihiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts - driving a minibus to evacuate residents. At some point, he installed a camera in the vehicle and recorded conversations with passengers. He evacuated around 400 people over the next six months.

The documentary, developed as a result of these conversations, first premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in the Cannes ACID program, which is presented by the association of independent cinema. In June, 'From Where to Where' received the main award in the international competition at the Sheffield DocFest 2023 documentary film festival in the UK.

At the Polish film festival Millennium Docs Against Gravity, the film received two awards: Best Polish Film and the Art House Cinema Association Award. The film is a co-production between Poland, France, and Ukraine. Ukrainian film company 435 FILMS, founded by producer Anna Palenchuk, was involved in the production of the film.

Another Ukrainian movie '20 Days in Mariupol’, directed by Mstyslav Chernov, was also shortlisted for an Oscar nomination in two categories: Best Documentary Film and Best International Film. Whether 'From Where to Where' will be nominated for the 2024 Oscars will be known on Jan. 23, 2024, when the list of nominees is announced.