Ukraine's top cultural achievements in 2024: the first Oscar win, record-breaking Yaremchuk, and more. Discover the nation's remarkable milestones this year.
The year is coming to a close, and summarizing cultural achievements has been challenging. Despite the war and the enemy's attempts to capture not only our territories but also our cultural identity, Ukrainian culture continued to evolve and amaze the world.
Documentarians turned heavy testimonies into global cinematic triumphs, musicians transformed pain into hits, and video game developers brought the exclusion zone into the realm of global pop culture.
"Telegraph" invites you to recall the 10 major cultural and cultural-related events that astonished and inspired in 2024.
1) The First "Oscar" in the History of Ukraine
March 11, 2024, became a landmark day in Ukrainian cinema: the documentary film "20 Days in Mariupol", directed by Myroslav Chernov, won an "Oscar" for Best Documentary Feature. This is the first award from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that Ukraine has received, marking a true breakthrough in global cinema.
5 The film also triumphed at the Ukrainian film award "Golden Wolf," the "Sundance" festival, the British BAFTA awards, and earned Chernov the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Achievement. The team became the last journalists to document the tragedy at the start of the city's siege, for which they were awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Shevchenko Prize.
— It’s an honor for me. But perhaps I will be the first director on this stage to say: I would not have wanted to make this film. Together, we can ensure that the truth prevails, and that the people of Mariupol and all those who gave their lives in the war are never forgotten, — Chernov remarked while receiving the award.
The film recounts the first weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, when Mariupol became the epicenter of one of the most horrific war crimes of the 20th century.
The relevance of the film was reaffirmed beyond the cinema screen as well. This year, "20 Days in Mariupol" became the ninth most popular search on Google among Ukrainians and the leader in the "Movies" category.
2) Record Box Office for the Documentary Film "Yaremchuk: The Unparalleled World of Beauty"
On August 8, the documentary film "Yaremchuk: The Unparalleled World of Beauty" premiered — a touching story about the life and work of Nazariy Yaremchuk, the first pop star of independent Ukraine.
6 The film became the highest-grossing documentary in Ukrainian history, surpassing "20 Days in Mariupol." Its box office reached 15.3 million hryvnias, with audiences purchasing nearly 100 thousand tickets. Over the course of 11 weeks, the film was screened in 96 cinemas across 109 towns in Ukraine and delighted audiences abroad.
Screenings of "Yaremchuk: The Unparalleled World of Beauty" took place in eight cities across the United States.
The idea and production of the film were led by Nazariy's daughter, Maria Yaremchuk. Additionally, she prepared a musical album featuring covers of her father's hits titled RE:Yaremchuk. The album includes 11 tracks performed by famous Ukrainian artists: Jamala, O.Torvald, Pianoбой, Dantes, Tember Blanche, and others.
The film was produced by Knife! Films under the guidance of producer Maksym Serdiuk and director Artem Hrihorian. According to the creators, the film not only tells the story of Nazariy Yaremchuk but also allows viewers to feel how the country changed and matured.
One of the most intriguing aspects is the use of a voice resembling that of Yaremchuk himself. Since few of his interviews remain in the archives, the team used artificial intelligence and a voice actor to recreate Nazariy's voice.
The project took almost three years to complete and was delayed due to the full-scale invasion, which postponed its premiere.
3) Ukraine's Third Place at "Eurovision 2024"
On January 11, 2024, the Ukrainian music scene received a true hit — the song Teresa & Maria, which became the most popular composition of the year. On the Spotify platform alone, the track gathered a record 46 million listens.
7 In the national selection for "Eurovision 2024," the song received over 723 thousand votes — 600 thousand more than the second-place entry.
At the contest, which took place this year in Malmö, Sweden, Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil performed Teresa & Maria brilliantly. As a result, the song advanced to the finals and secured a prestigious third place, earning 453 points. This further confirmed Ukraine's success at "Eurovision."
The national selection became the most discussed event of the year according to the Muzvar Awards, capturing the attention of not only Ukrainian but also international music fans.
4) Jamala Received the Shevchenko Prize for the Album "Qirim"
2024 marked a significant year for Jamala, who won the Shevchenko Prize for her album QIRIM. This musical masterpiece embodies the folklore of the Crimean Tatar people. The album features 15 folk songs collected from various regions of Crimea, revitalized through orchestral arrangements.
The music video for the mystical ancient song Arafat Dağından won the "Video of the Year" award at the Megogo Music Awards. The video became the longest music video in the history of Ukrainian music, lasting 6 minutes and 28 seconds.
— This is an incredible event for Ukrainian music. A song in the Crimean Tatar language, without artificial instruments, managed to compete with absolute pop hits. This victory showcases the strength and uniqueness of our culture, – commented Jamala on this success .
The album QIRIM also gained international recognition, reaching 6th place in the World Music Charts Europe, and Jamala became the first Ukrainian artist to top the Spotify Equal playlist.
5) Release of "STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl"
On November 20, 2024, the long-awaited release of the video game "STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl" from the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World took place.
This is the first game in the series to be released on consoles and one of the most anticipated according to the PC Gaming Show 2024. It topped the sales charts on Steam even before its release. In Russia, where the shooter was also downloaded actively, purchasing it could be equated to treason.
8 In the world of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, STALKER 2 offered players not only an incredible storyline but also stunning graphics. No graphics card can support the graphical options of this virtual reality at maximum settings.
The game sparked a new wave of interest in Ukrainian indie music, and not just in our country. Foreign gamers discovered the contemporary Ukrainian scene. The developers used over 400 tracks from domestic artists. Soon, hits from SadSvit and the song "Chrysanthemums" by Anastasimoza, which many first heard in the trailer, returned to the charts.
Fans of the game will soon be able to order an art book inspired by the game, created by the publishing house "Malyopus." The book promises to be a true guide to the Zone, detailing anomalies, artifacts, monsters, weapons, and other game elements.
6) 30th Anniversary of the "Okean Elzy" Band
On October 12, the "Okean Elzy" band celebrated its 30th anniversary. Five concerts at the Sports Palace, two full-length albums in Ukrainian and English, and a tour of the USA — these are just some of the ways Okean Elzy marked its anniversary on the Ukrainian stage.
9 The album "That Day" became a true gift for fans, evoking nostalgia for classic "OЕ" music.
Despite checks by military enlistment offices and air raid alerts, the