The documentary film “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” which portrays life near the front line in war-torn Donbas, has been nominated for the Emmy Awards, which recognize outstanding work in the television industry.
Directed by Danish filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont, the film was co-produced by Denmark, Sweden and Finland. It premiered in 2017 and was largely praised by the film critics.
“Whoa, I can’t believe it!” Wilmont wrote on Facebook on Aug. 7, commenting on the news of the nomination. The director continued by thanking the team behind the documentary, and mentioned the people portrayed in his film.
“But most, most importantly… a huge thanks to Oleg, Alexandra, Yaric, Alyona and Kostya — you guys are heroes,” he wrote.
“The Distant Barking of Dogs” is one of the few international films to put a spotlight on Russia’s ongoing war in eastern Ukraine. Since its beginning in 2014, the war has killed over 13,000 people and put the lives of locals in constant danger.
The documentary was nominated in the Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary category. It will compete for the award against five other nominees that include: “Midnight Traveler” by Afghan director Hassan Fazili, U.S. documentary “Fire in Paradise” by Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper, “Under the Wire” by Chris Martin, “On the President’s Orders” by James Jones and Olivier Sarbil and “Unmasking Jihadi John: Anatomy of a Terrorist,” the original HBO documentary, directed by Anthony Wonke.
“The Distant Barking of Dogs” tells the story of a 10-year-old boy, Oleg Afanasyev, who lives with his grandmother near the front line in Donbas. The director portrays the ongoing war in the east and how the boy grows up in these conditions.
The documentary was shot in the village of Hnutove, Donetsk Oblast, in 2015-2017. The settlement is located near Mariupol, a city that is under the control of Ukraine.
This is not the first time this film has received recognition. It was previously nominated for Best European Documentary in the European Film Prize 2018.
In 2019, “The Distant Barking of Dogs” was included on the Academy Awards’ shortlist in the Best Documentary Feature Film category.
In 2020, it collected the Peabody Award, an international award given annually for significant contributions in radio and television.
This year, the Emmy shortlist was selected from 2,000 works. The full list of nominees is available here.
The Emmy Awards ceremony will take place on Sept. 21, 2020 in the United States.
