Representatives from Disney Entertainment primarily cited time constraints as the reason for excluding the award for «20 Days in Mariupol» from the shortened TV version of the Oscars. This clarification was provided in response to a request from the Ukrainian Service of the Voice of America.
The company explained that due to time limitations on the 90-minute version for the international audience, certain categories and segments of the show could not be included. Disney Entertainment stated that the selection of nominations for the condensed version had been determined in advance during the planning process several weeks ago.
However, Disney Entertainment assured that a summary of all the missed winners, including «20 Days in Mariupol,» is included in the shortened version. The company also noted that the license to broadcast both the full live ceremony and an alternative 90-minute version in Ukraine was granted to Suspilne. Disney Entertainment confirmed that it had inquired with UA:PBC about the form in which the ceremony was broadcast in Ukraine.
Earlier, UA:PBC reported that in the shortened international TV version of the Oscars, the organizers omitted the Best Feature Documentary nomination, where the Ukrainian film «20 Days in Mariupol» had won. The Suspilne team expressed their displeasure with this decision, and Lukian Galkin, executive producer of the Suspilne Culture TV channel, stated:
«Mstislav Chernov’s powerful speech emphasized the unity between Ukraine and the world. It is all the more disappointing to see this episode full of truth and power excluded from the version distributed to the global Oscar licensees. Last year, a shortened version of the same nomination, featuring the documentary about Navalny, was included, along with the political speech of his wife Yulia Navalnaya, who accepted this seemingly apolitical award. We hope that the organizers of the award will listen to our protest».