On May 29, the restored version of the film "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" by Sergei Parajanov will hit theaters. This film marked the beginning of Ukrainian poetic cinema.
The announcement was made by the Ukrainian Film Center.
"This is not just a movie; it's a cultural phenomenon. A film that has entered the global cinema as a visual revelation. A true gem of our film studio, preserved, restored, and now available again for new generations," the center stated.
The film will be distributed by "Kinomania Film Distribution".
"Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" is an adaptation of the novella by Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi. The film was shot at the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Studio in 1964.
The story unfolds the love between Ivan Paliychuk and Marichka Hutenyuk, whose families have been feuding for decades. It resembles a Shakespearean Romeo and Juliet set amidst the picturesque landscapes of Hutsulshchyna.
Ivan Paliychuk was portrayed by Ivan Mykolaychuk, who later became a prominent actor and director. Initially, Parajanov doubted Mykolaychuk's appearance for the lyrical hero, but later changed his mind. Marichka was played by Larysa Kadotchnikova.
The film "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" has won 39 international awards, including 28 festival prizes (of which 24 are Grand Prix) in 21 countries.
Prominent literary critic Ivan Dziuba wrote about the film's impact on Ukrainian culture:
"It was not just a celebration of art; it was a celebration of the Ukrainian soul. A confirmation that Ukraine can be an aesthetic force in the world."
Dziuba emphasized that "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" became a model film for an entire generation of Ukrainian filmmakers who later gained international recognition.
Sergei Parajanov is one of the most significant Ukrainian directors of the 20th century.
In 1973, he was sentenced to five years of hard labor for "homosexuality", but everyone understood that the real reasons were his support for dissenters. In 2023, the National Commission for Rehabilitation posthumously rehabilitated him on the anniversary of his birth.
His film "The Color of Pomegranate" has also returned to screens, restored by Martin Scorsese's team, who is a great admirer of Parajanov's work.