Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
In collaboration with Ukrainian-Canadian programmers Alina Senchenko and Iryna Borzilova, we are presenting a comprehensive overview of Ukrainian film history, spanning nearly a century, from the Soviet era to the present day. A portion of the proceeds from this series will be donated to victims of the war in Ukraine through the Maple Hope Foundation.
The screening will be introduce by Club Ukrainien de Montréal
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is the most vivid example of what came to be known as Ukrainian poetic cinema. Here, Sergei Parajanov makes a complete break with the socialist realist style that had constrained Ukrainian cinematic expression until then. Based loosely on a novel by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Shadows uses a highly poetic, colorful, impressionistic, paradoxical style to tell a straightforward rural story of love and loss. Set against the majestic backdrop of the Carpathian mountains, the film’s incorporation of the costumes, rituals and traditions of Hutsul people also gives Shadows a unique documentary interest. Unlike most examples of Ukrainian poetic cinema, Shadows was allowed by Soviet authorities to enter international competitions, where it met with wide acclaim. Parajanov nonetheless faced severe persecution at home; his work was banned, and he spent several years in penal labour camps. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors remains one of the most important films in Ukrainian cinema history.
Sergei Parajanov
Sergei Parajanov was an Armenian film director and screenwriter. He is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers to be one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in cinema history. He invented his own cinematic style, which was out of step with the guiding principles of socialist realism; the only sanctioned art style in the USSR. This, combined with his lifestyle and behaviour, led Soviet authorities to repeatedly persecute and imprison him, and suppress his films. Despite this, Parajanov was named one of the 20 Film Directors of the Future by the Rotterdam International Film Festival in 1987 and his films were ranked among the greatest films of all time by Sight & Sound. His films also won many awards at festivals around the world.
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See you on October 5
The White Bird Marked with Black, directed by Yurii Illienko, the cinematographer for Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, will also be screened as part of the Ukrainian Cinemas cycle. With this film, Illienko continued developing the Ukrainian poetic style, rich with vivid color symbolism, dynamic camera movement and dreamlike montage.
Presented in collaboration with
