# In the Rearview

In the Rearview (Polish: Skąd dokąd, Ukrainian: Звідки куди / Zvidky kudy) is a 2023 documentary feature film directed by Maciek Hamela. It is about a van, that traverses the roads of Ukraine with the driver-director and evacuated people, following the Russian invasion. The vehicle becomes a fragile and temporary refuge of exiles whose only objective is to escape the war. It is a co-production between Poland, France and Ukraine.
In the Rearview has made it to the shortlist of 15 films for the 96th Academy Awards® in the Best Documentary Feature Film category and is nominated for the 26th Polish Film Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Film category.
In the Rearview debuted at 2023's Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival, where it won the main prize in the Polish Competition and the Arthouse Cinema Association award, and then had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Since then, it has been presented at over 50 festivals in Poland and abroad, receiving the Grand Jury Prize in the International Competition at Sheffield DocFest, which made it eligible to apply to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, or main awards in Odesa, Zurich, Hamburg, and Chicago. It was also presented at Toronto Film Festival where it had its North American premiere and at DMZ International Documentary Film Festival in South Korea where it had its Asian premiere.

## Production

Skąd dokąd and Zvidky kudy are the Polish and Ukrainian versions of the film's title, respectively. These phrases can be translated to mean "where from" (skąd / звідки / zvidky) and "where to" (dokąd / куди / kudy). They are routine questions asked when trying to pass through the numerous checkpoints located throughout the country that Hamela passed during his trips to and from Ukraine.
The film's score was composed by Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz. In addition to the original score, Komasa-Łazarkiewicz composed the film's theme, a classical piece called "The Wings" performed by the Ukrainian Choir. The theme is based on a poem of the same title by Lina Kostenko, one of Ukraine's most prominent contemporary poets.

## Release

In the Rearview had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, in the ACID (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) section. It had its international premiere in the International Competition of Sheffield DocFest, where it won the Grand Jury Prize, and North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the TIFF Docs section.
The film was sold to multiple territories, including US, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Hong Kong, Poland and France.

## Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, In the Rearview holds an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews.

## Accolades

In the Rearview was nominated for the International Documentary Association (IDA) awards, in the Best Documentary Film category and received the Pare Lorentz Award, awarded to films that reflect the spirit and tradition of the work of Pare Lorentz.
In the Rearview was among the 14 titles on the shortlist of the Best European Documentary films, published by the European Film Academy in 2023.

## Film festivals and accolades

Chosen film festivals, awards and nominations for In the Rearview :
| Festival | Date | Section | Result | Award | Recipient(s) |
| Millennium Docs Against Gravity | May 2023 | Polish Competition | Won | The Best Polish Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Millennium Docs Against Gravity | May 2023 | Polish Competition | Won | The Arthouse Cinema Association Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Cannes Film Festival | May 2023 | ACID | Programed | | |
| Sheffield DocFest | June 2023 | International Competition | Won | The Grand Jury Prize | Maciek Hamela |
| Iceland Documentary Film Festival – IceDocs | July 2023 | Main Competition | Won | Special Mention | Maciek Hamela |
| Dokufest | August 2023 | International Feature Dox Competition | Nominated | | |
| Odesa International Film Festival | August 2023 | National Competition | Won | The Best Ukrainian Documentary Feature Film Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Toronto International Film Festival | September 2023 | TIFF Docs | Nominated | | |
| DMZ International Documentary Film Festival | September 2023 | Unable to Settle or Leave | Programed | | |
| Festival 2 Cinéma de Valenciennes | September 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | Grand Prix | Maciek Hamela |
| Festival 2 Cinéma de Valenciennes | September 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | Critics' Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Festival 2 Cinéma de Valenciennes | September 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | Students' Awards | Maciek Hamela |
| Filmfest Hamburg | October 2023 | VETO! Competition | Won | Political Film Award for the best directorial work | Maciek Hamela |
| Zurich Film Festival | October 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | The Best Documentary | Maciek Hamela |
| CinEast – the Central and Eastern European Film Festival | October 2023 | Focus on Ukraine | Programed | | |
| Festival International de cinéma War on Screen | October 2023 | Feature Film Competition | Won | International Jury Grand Prize | Maciek Hamela |
| Opolskie Lamy Film Festival | October 2023 | Feature Film Competition | Won | Grand Prix for the Best Documentary | Maciek Hamela |
| Corsica.doc – International Documentary Festival | October 2023 | New Talents Competition | Won | Main Award Corsica.doc/Via Stella for the Best Feature Film | Maciek Hamela |
| Corsica.doc – International Documentary Festival | October 2023 | New Talents Competition | Won | Youth Jury Award for the Best Feature Film | Maciek Hamela |
| Chicago International Film Festival | October 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | Silver Hugo Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Man in Danger Media Festival | October 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | A Kazimierz Karabasz "Patient Eye" Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Man in Danger Media Festival | October 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | Audience Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Ukraina! Film Festival | October 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | Best Documentary Competition Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Ukraina! Film Festival | October 2023 | Documentary Competition | Won | Audience Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival | October 2023 | Constellations | Programed | | |
| Doc NYC | November 2023 | Winner's Circle | Nominated | | |
| IDFA - The International Documentary Film Festival | November 2023 | Best of Fests | Nominated | | |
| Zinebi – International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao | November 2023 | ZIFF – Zinebi First Film International Competition | Won | ZIFF Grand Award | Maciek Hamela |
| Bastau International Film Festival | December 2023 | Bastau Docs | Won | Main Prize named after Oraz Abishev | Maciek Hamela |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | January 2024 | True Stories | Nominated | | |
| Budapest International Documentary Festival BIDF | February 2024 | International Competition | Nominated | | |