Filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov Honored with WGA West’s Paul Selvin Award for ‘2,000 Meters to Andriivka’
Oscar-Winning Documentarian Matsylav Chernov to Receive WGA West’s Paul Selvin Award
Matsylav Chernov, the Oscar-winning documentarian behind 20 Days in Mariupol, has been selected to receive the 2026 Paul Selvin Award from the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). This recognition honors his writing in the documentary 2,000 Meters to Andriivka.
The award ceremony will take place on March 8 during the WGA Awards at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live. Chernov joins a distinguished group of honorees, which includes Don Reo, this year’s recipient of the Paddy Chayefsky Award.
The Selvin Award, named in memory of the late longtime WGAW general counsel, is given to a guild member whose work exemplifies the spirit of constitutional and civil rights essential to the survival of free writers.
“I mostly am seen as a documentary filmmaker, but in my heart I’m a writer. So, when it comes to the WGA, when it comes to the recognition of my writing, that’s incredibly precious because that’s where it all started,” Chernov stated. “I think sooner or later I’ll end up in a little cabin somewhere, just writing, writing, writing because that’s the most precious art there is for me.”
2,000 Meters to Andriivka follows Associated Press journalists Chernov and Alex Babenko as they embed with a Ukrainian platoon fighting to liberate the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka. The documentary primarily utilizes body-cam footage recorded by Ukrainian soldiers. It has been nominated for a WGA Award in documentary writing and has also received nominations from the Directors Guild of America and Critics Choice, in addition to winning two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered in January.
Though the documentary made this year’s Oscar shortlist, it did not secure a nomination.
Last year, the Selvin Award was presented to RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes for their co-writing on Nickel Boys. Recent recipients also include Cord Jefferson, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, and Barry Jenkins.
