Zelenskyy posthumously honors Lithuanian filmmaker killed while filming Mariupol

The award was presented to the family of Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius, who was killed by Russian troops, by Kyrylo Budanov in Vilnius. Budanov said he thanked Kvedaravičius’ parents for their “courage and commitment to the ideals of truth.”

The Lithuanian director first filmed Mariupol and the war in eastern Ukraine in 2016, when the front line was close to the Ukrainian city. The documentary premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.

After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kvedaravičius returned to Mariupol to document life in the city as it resisted Russian forces. For nearly a month, he filmed the lives of Mariupol residents under siege and amid constant fighting.

“At the end of March 2022, Mantas Kvedaravičius fell into the hands of Russian troops. They tortured the director, but they could not kill the truth he managed to capture on film,” Budanov said.

The filmmaker’s fiancée managed to save the footage he shot in Mariupol and later used it to create the documentary Mariupolis 2. Budanov said the film was seen around the world. It won a prize from the European Film Academy and was screened in the official program of the Cannes Film Festival.