Ukraine has selected its national contender for the 99th Academy Awards in the 'Best International Feature Film' category. According to the Ukrainian Oscar Committee, the country has nominated the documentary 'Traces' by director Alisa Kovalenko and co-director Marysi Nikityuk. The film won the national selection, in which eight films participated this year, and the decision to nominate it was made by a 12-member committee chaired by film critic Alyk Shpiluk.
What the Film 'Traces' Is About
At the heart of the documentary are Ukrainian women who survived sexual violence and torture as a result of Russian aggression, but who refused to remain silent about what they went through. One of the protagonists is former captive Irina Dovhan, who, after her liberation, became an activist and began documenting the testimonies of other affected women in deoccupied areas of Ukraine. The filmmakers emphasize that, through the personal stories of its protagonists, the film speaks not only about trauma, but also about solidarity, the pursuit of justice, and recovery from what was endured.
The Director's Personal Experience as a Starting Point
Director Alisa Kovalenko herself survived Russian captivity at the beginning of the war in Donbas and has publicly spoken about sexual violence linked to the conflict. Her personal experience and human rights activism became one of the driving forces behind the creation of the film. For Kovalenko, nominating the film is also an opportunity to draw international attention to Russian war crimes and to make the voices of affected women louder. Commenting on the choice, the Ukrainian Oscar Committee called 'Traces' an honest and profound work about an experience that is very difficult to put into words, and noted the authors' delicate cinematic language.
The Film's Festival Journey
The world premiere of 'Traces' took place in February 2026 at the Berlin International Film Festival, where the film was presented in the Panorama Dokumente section and won the audience vote among documentary works — 26,500 viewers participated in the poll. The film subsequently received an award at the Movies That Matter festival in The Hague, was screened at Millennium Docs Against Gravity, and made the top 20 audience favorites at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto. The Ukrainian premiere took place at the Docudays UA human rights documentary film festival.
Team and Production
The film was produced by 2Brave Productions and Message Film in collaboration with Arte France, SEMA Ukraine, and the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation. The producers of the film are Olga Bregman and Natalia Libet. In addition to its participation in the international category, 'Traces' may also be considered for the 'Best Documentary Feature Film' category.
What Comes Next: Selection Timeline
Nomination from Ukraine does not yet mean an automatic Oscar nomination. On December 15, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is to announce the 15 films that will make the shortlist in the 'Best International Feature Film' category. The five official nominees will be revealed on January 21, 2027, and the 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.
