SUNDANCE '23: Composer Jordan Dykstra Discusses Working on the Timely Documentary '20 Days in Mariupol'
It’s been nearly a year since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. While the fight is still far from over, one new documentary dares to ask the question “how did it all begin?” 20 Days in Mariupol, as the title suggests, follows one journalist as he watches the conflict unfold over the course of nearly three weeks. The film made its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and received rave reviews as well as non-stop standing ovations. According to composer Jordan Dykstra, the praise is nowhere near as important as the film’s message.
In an exclusive interview with FilmSpeak, Dykstra explains that the film was only made “to share this news with people and to stay on top of what's happening.” He points out that, in Russia, there continues to be a lot of propaganda making the rounds. In fact. in the film, he says that there’s one claim made by Russian media about a maternity ward being bombed. However, star, journalist and filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov totally disproves it.
“We have the footage,” Dykstra adds. “We talked to the people, we know their names. It’s just really important for the world to know how news is being used.”
Interestingly enough, Dykstra was knee-deep in another propaganda-centric project when he got the call to work on 20 Days. He says he was originally working on a film about “The Big Lie” titled Plot to Overturn the Election, and that 20 Days wasn’t even on his radar. But after the producers at PBS and Frontline listened to his submission for the former, they asked him to come onboard. Fast forward less than one year later. The film has afforded Dykstra the opportunity to attend Sundance in-person for the first time ever. It was a dual honor for Dykstra, who did not downplay how much it meant to represent the film and to be a part of such a relevant story.
The composer particularly praised Chernov for his ability to present the facts surrounding this conflict, considering that he is also a Ukrainian citizen and a victim and technically biased. He points out that Chernov did not have “the luxury of knowing, in eight months or nine months, all of this support, all these tanks from Germany and America were going to come and that things would be better somehow.” He explains that, despite how hopeless things get, Chernov fights unflinchingly the only way he can: with his camera.
Without giving too much of the film away, Dykstra teases that by the 18th or 19th day, Russian tanks have Chernov’s sanctuary, a hospital, surrounded. Although he doesn’t reveal Chernov’s fate, he does say the film never shakes that hopelessness off. In other words, despite how optimistic things may seem sometimes, there is never an indication of a happy ending. That’s because there still is no happy ending today. He says, “There's still occupation even now, hundreds of days after…[the film is] in the present.” That’s what makes 20 Days in Mariupol unlike most other documentaries. Rather than look at its subject in hindsight, it’s committed to exposing the truth in real time.