Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

A towering achievement of world cinema, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is Sergei Parajanov at his most visionary, blending folkloric traditions, animistic mysticism, and striking modernist invention.

Adapted from a 1911 novella by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi, the film follows Ivanko, played by Ivan Mykolaichuk, as a young Hutsul peasant moving through grief and fragile hope after losing his first love, Marichka, played by an ethereal Larysa Kadochnykova.

Rooted in the atmosphere of the Carpathian Mountains, it’s brought to life by kinetic, radiant cinematography from Yuri Illienko and a collagelike experimental soundtrack, making this a singularly mythopoeic and unforgettable work of art.