Oscars 2024: '20 Days in Mariupol' beats Priyanka Chopra-backed 'To Kill a Tiger' in Documentary Feature

Priyanka Chopra-backed documentary 'To Kill a Tiger' missed out on an Oscar win at the 96th Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature Film, losing to the Ukrainian film '20 Days in Mariupol'.

Chopra joined the project as an executive producer through her production house, Purple Pebble Pictures, just days before the Oscars ceremony.

About ‘To Kill a Tiger’

Directed by Nisha Pahuja, ‘To Kill a Tiger’ focused on a sexual assault survivor in rural India.

Priyanka Chopra, discussing her involvement with People Magazine, expressed her commitment to projects that address important issues like sexual violence against women. She stated, ‘I seek and attach myself to work that really pushes the conversations of issues that I feel close to or passionate about, and sexual violence against women definitely is one of them.’

‘In India, we say one-third of women in India have experienced sexual violence, and that statistic has to be higher because of underreporting,’ she added.

Filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov became emotional as he accepted the Best Documentary Feature award.

‘This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history, and I’m honored,’ Chernov said.

‘Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I’d never made this film, I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine,’ he added.

He called on Russia to cease aggression in Ukraine. ‘I wish for them to release all the hostages, all the soldiers who are protecting their land, all the civilians who are in their jails,’ he said.

‘We can make sure that the history record is set straight and the truth will prevail, and that the people of Mariupol, and those who have given their lives, will never be forgotten. Because cinema forms memories and memories form history,’ he said.

While covering the invasion, Chernov and his team encountered a range of reactions. Some expressed gratitude for their journalistic efforts, while others insulted them. Additionally, some doctors encouraged them to capture graphic footage of injured and deceased children to expose the realities of the conflict to the world.

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