The documentary film Traces, directed by Alisa Kovalenko and co-directed by Marysia Nikitiuk, will represent Ukraine at the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
The Ukrainian Oscar Committee announced this on Facebook.
“This year’s choice was not an easy one. The selection featured strong and worthy works, each of which speaks in its own way about Ukraine and the experience we are living through today. We very much hope that they will also be able to compete successfully in other Academy Award categories,” the committee said.
“Traces is an honest and profound documentary about an experience that is extraordinarily difficult to speak about, and about the strength of women who find the courage not to remain silent. Despite the extreme complexity of its subject, the film finds a delicate and expressive cinematic language that does not alienate the viewer but allows them to come closer to the protagonists, hear them and empathise with them. Through their personal stories, the film speaks about dignity, solidarity, recovery and justice,” the committee noted.
Director Alisa Kovalenko stressed that the selection of Traces to represent Ukraine at the 99th Academy Awards was “an incredible honour and responsibility”.
“But above all, it is an opportunity to draw the world’s attention to the crimes of sexual violence and torture committed by Russian occupying forces and to amplify the voices of women who refused to remain silent about what they experienced,” Kovalenko said.
The documentary Traces follows Ukrainian women who survived sexual violence and torture committed during Russia’s aggression as they seek justice.
“Going far beyond the direct documentation of war crimes, the film focuses on a community of women survivors who refuse to remain silent about what they experienced. Through the story of Iryna Dovhan — a former prisoner who became an activist and documents the testimonies of women survivors in Ukraine’s liberated territories — the film creates a collective portrait of trauma while also opening a space for recovery. Through the strength of the solidarity of women standing side by side, the film offers a profound reflection on the possibility of hope amid the devastating traces of war,” the committee said.
The film has received a number of awards at major international film festivals, including the Berlinale, Movies That Matter in The Hague and Millennium Docs Against Gravity. It was also among the top 20 audience favourites at Toronto’s Hot Docs documentary festival. Its Ukrainian premiere took place at Docudays UA.
The 15 films shortlisted for Best International Feature Film will be announced on December 15, 2026.
The five nominees in the category will be announced on January 21, 2027.
The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.
