The documentary film “Traces” has been appointed as Ukraine’s national candidate for the 99th Academy Awards, focusing on the experiences of Ukrainian women who have endured sexual violence and torture due to Russian aggression. The film’s protagonists seek justice and provide support to other victims, according to reports.
From October 12 to 16, director Alisa Kovalenko and the film’s leading actress, Irina Dovhan, participated in screenings and media meetings in Paris. They presented the film to invited guests and members of the film academy. Notably, the screening was attended by French philosopher and documentarian Bernard-Henri Lévy.
In Germany, “Traces” was featured at the Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin, while in Kyiv, it was included in the focus program “Ukraine – Switzerland” during the Kyiv Critics Week. Swiss film critics selected it as the only documentary in the section, alongside films like Nataliia Vorozhbyt’s “Demons” and Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “For Victory!”
The film team will head to the United States at the end of October for festival screenings and private showings as part of their Oscar campaign and efforts to raise awareness about the film’s subject matter.
Context
- On September 16, 2026, the film was selected as Ukraine’s candidate for the 99th Oscar. It has also made it to the shortlist for the European Film Academy Awards.
- To support the film’s international promotion, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation awarded Alisa Kovalenko a scholarship of $200,000, aimed at sharing the heroines’ stories with global audiences and highlighting the need for justice restoration.
- In October, “Traces” received two international awards: the Checkpoints Award at the Bergen International Film Festival and the main award at the Unlimited Hope Film Festival in Bochum. The Checkpoints Award is given to documentaries on human rights in partnership with the Rafto Human Rights Foundation. “Traces” was recognized for its “deeply compassionate and cinematic portrait of survival, community, and resistance.”
- Additionally, on October 22, the documentary won the main award in the Checkpoints competition at the 27th Bergen International Film Festival in Norway.
