“Gut-wrenching.” “Harrowing.” “Groundbreaking.” “Haunting.” “Absolutely essential.” 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIKA opens Friday at the Monica Film Center.

The war in Ukraine may no longer dominate the U.S. headlines, but the brutal fight for freedom continues — and brave filmmakers are risking everything to tell the world what’s really happening on the front lines.Oscar-winning Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, who won Best Documentary Feature for his 2023 Academy Award-winning film20 Days in Mariupol, returns with his powerful new documentary 2000 Meters to Andriivka. This gripping film captures the intense 2023 battle to drive Russian forces out of the small village of Andriivka, Ukraine.Listen to an interview with Chernov on Inside the Arthouse. He will also participate in an in-person Q&A after the 7:10 P.M. screening at the Monica Film Center on July 30. Writer-director Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Andor) will moderate.Using raw body cam footage, immersive drone shots, and frontline cinematography, Chernov delivers an unflinching look at the courage, sacrifice, and reality of Ukraine’s ongoing fight for survival. Masterful editing transforms chaotic combat into a clear, deeply human story that demands to be seen — and felt.As difficult as it can be to watch at times, 2000 Meters to Andriivka reminds us why frontline documentaries are more vital now than ever, leaving us wiser and more inspired from the experience.

"The Ukrainian photojournalist and film-maker Mstyslav Chernov stunned us with his eyewitness documentary 20 Days in Mariupol... His new film is if anything more visceral, with waking-nightmare images captured in pin-sharp 4K digital clarity." ~ Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

"Regardless of its wider effect, it’s probably the most powerful film that will be seen in cinemas this year, and for that reason alone is absolutely essential viewing." ~ Nick Howells, London Evening Standard

"Chernov asks us to simply observe, and know that these men aren’t just characters on a screen or pawns in a story. He wants us to see what they saw." ~ Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

"A groundbreaking view of the horror and pity of war, I can’t remember a cinematic experience quite like it. It’s devastating and extraordinary." ~ Philip De Semlyen, Time Out

"War is hell, it says, and we’re all doomed. It might be the year’s most important film." ~ Kevin Maher, The Times (UK)

“Andriivkais a less tersely journalistic and more pensively devastating work than Mariupol: a film of its moment, and an agonizingly extended moment at that." ~ Guy Lodge, Variety

"Chernov’s gut-wrenching doc is a reminder of the heroics and cost of this brutal war." Peter Howell, Toronto Star

"A harrowing first-person view of a ceaseless nightmare, defined by both blistering immediacy and crushing sadness." ~ Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

"2000 Meters to Andriivkais perhaps less instantly harrowing than 20 Days in Mariupol. But its haunting impact may go further toward reshaping viewer perceptions of the ongoing conflict." ~ Daniel Fienberg, Hollywood Reporter

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