March 2024– Kinstellar is honoured to have provided intellectual property and privacy-related advice to The Associated Press (AP) during the production of20 Days in Mariupol, a feature-length documentary about the brutal Russian invasion and devastation of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in 2022.
The documentary was recently honoured with an Academy Award for Best Documentary, adding to a growing list of accolades for20 Days in Mariupol, including from Pulitzer, Sundance, BAFTA and the Directors Guild of America. The Oscar is a first for producer Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian AP video journalist, the AP itself (as a 178-year-old news organization), and is also Ukraine’s first ever Oscar win!
Ukrainian IP and privacy law advice for the film was provided by Natalia Kirichenko, Kyiv office Partner and Head of the Intellectual Property & Technology practice, and Olena Stanishevska, Associate.
"This honour is a timely reminder to the world that the horrors of the war are ongoing and that Ukraine needs for the world to have a vividly documented record of the atrocities taking place in a sovereign European country in the 21st century. We need all the support we can get to fight for the truth to prevail against the invader!
Natalia Kirichenko, Kyiv office Partner"