Mantas Kvedaravicius, a Lithuanian filmmaker, has died in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine. He was 45.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported his death via a tweet on Sunday. The information agency did not give a cause of death, but wrote that Kvedaravicius died “while trying to leave Mariupol,” which has been under attack by Russian forces amid the country’s war on Ukraine.
“While trying to leave Mariupol, the occupiers killed Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravičius, who is the author of the documentary Mariupolis,” wrote the information agency.
Kvedaravicius’ 2016 documentary Mariupolis won best documentary at the Lithuanian Film Awards, while also receiving nods festivals in Berlin, Hong Kong and Stockholm.
The filmmaker also helmed the 2011 documentary Batzakh about Russia’s war in Chechnya. The film won the Amnesty International film prize in Berlin that year, and was the recipient of many other accolades.
