About

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, is one of the most acclaimed Ukrainian films of all time. The film tells of star-crossed lovers, Ivan and Marichka, who come from feuding families in a remote a Hutzul community in the Carpathian mountains. Heralding the magical realism, sumptuous use of colour and elaborate staging which would become keystones of Parajanov's later style, this timeless tale of love transcending all barriers is an intoxicating avant-garde opus.
This, Parajanov’s fifth feature film, marked a disavowal of the style of Soviet Realism that he had hitherto worked in. Instead of creating a vision of a homogenous Soviet Union, he sought to highlight and celebrate the history, folklore and life of distinctive regional communities. He shot the film in the Hutzul dialogue and rejecting suggestion it should be dubbed in Russian.

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with the Dovzhenko Film Studio and in collaboration with the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre. Special thanks to Olena Honcharuk and Daniel Bird. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation

The film was scanned in 4K by Fixafilm laboratory in Warsaw using a low contrast 35mm print donated by Eric Liknaitzky to Daniel Bird and now deposited at the Austrian Film Museum. A vintage print for the Harvard Film Archive was used as a reference for grading. Restoration work was completed in 2024 by L'Immagine Ritrovata.

Ages 15+