Ukrainian VR documentary Shelter wins at The Webby Awards 2026
The film is a collaboration between Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Created in a 360° format, filming took place across Ukraine in 2024.
The Film Academy describes the project as "an intimate look at life in Ukraine during wartime, through the space of bomb shelters – places where people hide from shelling, give birth, listen to music, prepare for battle, and say goodbye to loved ones."
Shelter (Ukryttia) places viewers in a range of environments:
Ivanna Khitsinska and Sjoerd Svierstra co-directed the film.
The project's producers are Justin Karten (Scopic Lab, Netherlands), Bram Crols (Associate Director, Belgium), and Ivanna Khitsinska (WAYA Production, Ukraine).
Before its Webby win, Shelter (Ukryttia) already had a strong festival presence. The world premiere took place in 2025 at SXSW in Austin, USA, where the film was nominated for the Grand Jury Award. Its European premiere was held at the Krakow Film Festival in Poland, and later in 2025, the project received a Special Mention at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
The 2026 Webby Award for Shelter (Ukryttia) highlights the growing global recognition of Ukrainian stories in new audiovisual formats and strengthens Ukraine's presence in the global VR and immersive art community.
Background
Often dubbed "the Oscars of the internet," The Webby Awards have honored excellence in digital media since their founding in 1996. The awards cover a broad range of categories, including video, film, advertising, apps, and artificial intelligence.
For reference, the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio in Kyiv was recently added to the list of European Film Heritage Treasures – an initiative recognizing iconic film locations and venues significant to the history of European cinema. The list also includes cinemas, studios, and sets from several European cities.
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4 of May 2026
