A newly restored 4K screening of Sergei Parajanov’s legendary 1965 masterpiece — with an introduction and Q&A by Pylyp Illienko

Experience on the big screen one of the most visually stunning and influential films in world cinema — Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, newly restored in breathtaking 4K.

The 1965 Ukrainian masterpiece has been digitally remastered with restoration led by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.

The evening will open with an introduction by Pylyp Illienko, filmmaker and Chair of the Board of Ukrainian Film Academy, son of Yurii Illienko, the film’s cinematographer. Following the screening, audiences are invited to a Q&A session with Pylyp Illienko to discuss the film’s enduring artistic legacy, backstage stories and its influence on Ukrainian and global cinema.

A cornerstone of Ukrainian poetic cinema, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (based on the novel by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky) tells a tragic story of love, fate, and memory set in the Carpathian mountains. Its visionary imagery and emotional power continue to captivate audiences even six decades after its release.

This screening is part of Through Shadows and Memories, a two-part program dedicated to Sergei Parajanov and the legacy of Ukrainian poetic cinema. The second screening, A Sentimental Journey to the Parajanov Planet (2024, dir. Taras Tomenko), will take place at Innis Town Hall Cinema on December 4.

Movie presented in ukrainian with english subtitles

Brought to you by Straw Bells Media in partnership with St. Volodymyr Institute and the Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival (TUFF).