What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
These ten films offer different ways into Russia’s war against Ukraine: reporting from besieged Mariupol, civilians’ daily lives and displacement, children’s testimony, artists’ work, and soldiers’ frontline routines. This is a curated guide, not a ranking. It includes films about the conflict in Donbas as well as the full-scale invasion that began in 2022, so each selection notes its focus and approach.
What are the best movies about the war in Ukraine?
There is no single film that represents the whole war. The most useful choice depends on whose experience you want to understand, which period you want to see, and how direct a documentary approach you are prepared for. The films below are arranged from immediate reporting and the full-scale invasion toward civilian, cultural, and longer-term perspectives.
![Sisters of Ukraine [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41BxR7CH47L._SL160_.jpg)
![Nature: Saving the Animals of Ukraine [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/413lHOAky6L._SL160_.jpg)
War footage and testimony can be distressing. The sources for these films do not establish a consistent content-rating or warning system, so check an individual film’s advisories before watching.
Documentaries about Ukraine: ten films to consider
1. 20 Days in Mariupol — reporting from a besieged city
Ukrainian journalist and filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov’s feature draws on daily dispatches and personal footage made as an Associated Press team remained in besieged Mariupol. It is both a record of the siege and an account of the conditions under which journalists documented it. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024; the AP team’s Mariupol reporting received the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Those honors are important context, not an objective ranking of films. Official film site.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
2. The Invasion — civilian life across Ukraine
Sergei Loznitsa’s 2024 documentary was filmed over two years and observes civilian life across Ukraine during Russia’s invasion. Its broad geographic and social scope makes it a different choice from a film centered on one city, one battle, or one group. Director’s site.
3. Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods — soldiers near Kupyansk
Jamie Roberts’s BBC-commissioned film follows a Ukrainian assault company deployed near Kupyansk. It focuses on frontline routines and soldiers’ perspectives rather than offering a broad survey of civilian life. BBC programme listing.
Rank #2
- Dovzhenko's Wartime Masterworks - Original and Uncut in a Remastered Deluxe Two-Disc DVD Edition.
4. Intercepted — intercepted calls and images of rebuilding
Oksana Karpovych juxtaposes intercepted calls by Russian soldiers to their families with images of destruction and Ukrainians rebuilding. Rather than relying on conventional narration, it creates meaning through the tension between what is heard and what is seen. The Ukrainian Institute records its premiere as February 17, 2024. Ukrainian Institute film page.
5. In the Rearview — civilians on the road to safety
PBS POV describes this film as an intimate view of civilians travelling in a volunteer aid van. Its perspective is displacement and evacuation: the experience of people moving through a war zone, rather than a frontline unit or a single besieged city. PBS POV film page.
6. Can I Go Home Now? — childhood under siege
Pritan Ambroase’s completed 2026 feature documentary uses children’s voices and testimony to present childhood under siege. The British Council database lists a 101-minute running time and was updated September 22, 2026. The film’s focus on children makes it a distinct perspective, but does not by itself establish an age rating or suitability for younger viewers. British Council film listing.
7. Porcelain War — art, family, and civilian resistance
Co-directed by Slava Leontyev and Brendan Bellomo, this portrait follows Ukrainian artists Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov as the invasion reshapes their work and daily lives. The official description emphasizes art and family alongside civilian resistance and the shift from making art to taking up arms. Official film site.
Rank #4
8. Militantropos — lives changed in different ways
The Austrian Film Institute describes this documentary as tracing everyday lives transformed by Russia’s invasion, including people who flee, lose everything, stay, or resist. Its premise makes room for several responses to war rather than following only one experience. Austrian Film Institute film page.
9. Mariinka — a decade shaped by conflict in Donbas
Pieter-Jan De Pue’s documentary was filmed over ten years and follows young people whose lives have been shaped by conflict in Donbas. That longer time horizon provides a perspective beyond films focused solely on the full-scale invasion that began in 2022. Beetz Brothers film page.
Best Value
![Glory to the Heroes [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51PDSOES+CL._SL160_.jpg)
- A timely and intimate look at the ongoing war in Ukraine
10. A Rising Fury — not included in this selection
A Rising Fury is sometimes described as a documentary about how Russia’s war in Ukraine began, but the available details here do not establish its premise or production information well enough to recommend it with confidence. It is omitted from the ten-film selection rather than treated as a verified viewing recommendation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose what to watch
- For reporting under siege: 20 Days in Mariupol centers journalists and civilian life in Mariupol.
- For a wider view of daily life: The Invasion observes civilians across Ukraine; Militantropos follows people taking different paths through the invasion.
- For frontline perspectives: Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods follows soldiers near Kupyansk.
- For displacement: In the Rearview focuses on civilians travelling in a volunteer aid van.
- For children’s testimony: Can I Go Home Now? presents childhood under siege through children’s voices.
- For art and documentary form: Porcelain War connects artistic work with civilian resistance; Intercepted builds its account through calls and images rather than conventional narration.
- For conflict’s longer effects: Mariinka follows young people shaped by a decade of conflict in Donbas.
Where can you watch 20 Days in Mariupol?
Streaming and rental availability varies by country and can change; current territory-specific access is not established here. Check the film’s official site or local distributor for up-to-date legal viewing options rather than relying on an old platform listing.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
