---
title: "Ukraine Submits the Documentary 'Traces' About Women Who Survived Wartime Violence for the 2027 Oscars"
description: "Ukraine has selected the documentary 'Traces' by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysi Nikityuk as its national contender for the 2027 Oscars in the Best International Feature category."
date: 2026-09-17T09:28:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-oscar-2027-pretendent-traces-documentary
tags: [ukraine, oscar, documentary-film, traces-film, alisha-kovalenko, war-crimes, human-rights]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukraine Submits the Documentary 'Traces' About Women Who Survived Wartime Violence for the 2027 Oscars

![A woman by a damaged wall in a frame from the documentary 'Traces', submitted by Ukraine for the 2027 Oscars](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/18/ukraina-pretendent-oskar-2027-film-sledy/ukraina-pretendent-oskar-2027-film-sledy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Ukraine has nominated the documentary 'Traces' by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysi Nikityuk for the 99th Academy Awards in the 'Best International Feature Film' category.
- The film is dedicated to Ukrainian women who survived sexual violence and torture during Russian aggression; one of the protagonists is former captive Irina Dovhan.
- The world premiere took place in Berlin in February 2026, where the film won the audience vote in the Panorama Dokumente section (26,500 viewers).
- The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 15, the five nominees on January 21, 2027, and the ceremony on March 14, 2027; nomination does not guarantee an Oscar nod.

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.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukraine Selects Its 2027 Oscar Contender: What Is Known About the Film 'Traces'](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/culture/ukrayina-viznachila-pretendenta-oskar-2027-1789636619.html) - Источник приводит решение Украинского Оскаровского комитета о выдвижении «Следов», состав отбора (8 лент, 12 членов комитета во главе с Аликом Шпилюком), фестивальную историю (Берлин-2026, Panorama Dokumente, 26,5 тыс. зрителей; Movies That Matter, Millenium Docs Against Gravity, Hot Docs, Docudays UA), продюсеров и хронологию оскаровского отбора (15 декабря — шорт-лист, 21.01.2027 — номинации, 14.03.2027 — церемония). Противоречий с другими данными нет.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Which film has Ukraine nominated for the 2027 Oscars?
**A:** The national contender in the 'Best International Feature Film' category is the documentary 'Traces' by director Alisa Kovalenko and co-director Marysi Nikityuk.

### Q: What is the film 'Traces' about?
**A:** The film is dedicated to Ukrainian women who survived sexual violence and torture as a result of Russian aggression but refused to stay silent; among the protagonists is former captive Irina Dovhan, who became an activist.

### Q: Where did the world premiere take place and what awards has the film received?
**A:** The world premiere took place in February 2026 at the Berlin Film Festival (Panorama Dokumente section), where the film won the audience vote among documentary works; the film was later recognized at Movies That Matter in The Hague, screened at Millennium Docs Against Gravity, and made the top 20 favorites at Hot Docs.

### Q: Does the nomination guarantee an automatic Oscar nomination?
**A:** No. On December 15, the Academy will announce 15 films on the shortlist, the five official nominees will be revealed on January 21, 2027, and the ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.