The documentary film "The Reckoning Project" by researcher Oleksiy Radynsky received a special RIGHTS NOW! award at the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Docudays UA.
"This gripping film provides a unique perspective on the widely covered event that captured the world's attention in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Footage shot from mobile phones, combined with interviews with witnesses, helps us understand how close the world came to a nuclear catastrophe. The short film format underscores this possibility, which was prevented by a few resilient, dedicated, and kind-hearted individuals," the jury statement reads.
Synopsis: During the Russian occupation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in early 2022, a local informant secretly captures Russian soldiers on film. We hear Chernobyl power plant workers discussing their experiences during the occupation by Russian forces—a nuclear terror act that posed yet another global catastrophe at the site. In this harrowing episode of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, past and present catastrophic scenarios intertwine.
Scene from "Chornobyl 22"
On May 2nd, "Chernobyl 22" received the Grand Prize at the oldest short documentary film festival, Oberhausen Film Festival.