First look at ‘First Oscar’, the story of the Battle of Moscow

World War II drama ‘First Oscar’ tells the story behind the creation of ‘Moscow Strikes Back’ – the first film to win an Oscar for a documentary

‘First Oscar’ is based on the events that went into the creation of ‘Moscow Strikes Back’ – a documentary detailing the defense of Moscow against the Nazis in the first years of the Great Patriotic War, as well as the story of how it became the first documentary to win an Oscar in 1943.

‘First Oscar’ tells the tale of a group of students who refuse to evacuate from Moscow as the Nazi forces approach. Instead, they volunteer to go to the frontlines as cameramen to film the war effort and the bravery of the Soviet soldiers – a film that would later be known as ‘Moscow Strikes Back’. Later, a member of the American Academy Awards Committee who receives this rare footage tries to persuade his colleagues to create a new Oscar category for documentary films.

The film is set to premiere on March 24, and is directed by Sergey Mokritskiy, the director of the film ‘Battle for Sevastopol’, which also takes place during World War II and tells the story of famed female sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko.