Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

Dir. Sergei Parajanov. 1964, 97 mins. Soviet Union. In Ukrainian with English subtitles. 35mm. With Ivan Mykolaichuk, Larisa Kodchnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva. Filmed in Ukraine’s Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was a rare Ukrainian-language feature to be distributed across the U.S.S.R. in its original language. Based on a 1911 novel by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, this is the tale of star-crossed Hutsul lovers Ivan and Marichka, trapped on opposing sides of a blood feud between two Carpathian clans. Not even the killing of his own father by the hands of Marichka’s father can break their bond forged in childhood. After a tragic event befalls them, the haunting memory of their love is all that remains. Inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky, Mikhail Kalatozov, and Sergei Urusevsky, as well as Ukrainian Hutsul folk culture, this treasured cornerstone of independent Ukrainian cinema marked a shift in the development of Ukrainian culture in the second half of the 20th century, as well as shift in Parajanov’s ever-deepening oeuvre. 

Preceded by 
Kyiv Frescoes  
Dir. Sergei Parajanov. 1965-66, 15 mins. Soviet Union. Restored 4K DCP. At odds with Soviet authorities, Parajanov was not granted permission to realize this project, made after the success of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, for which he wrote several scripts and shot the initial screen tests before editing into a 13-minute short. These surviving materials provide a glimpse into what may have been while inviting the viewer into the tableau aesthetic that would soon suffuse Parajanov’s distinctive style. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). There is a $1.50 transaction fee per ticket for all online purchases. The cost of admission may be applied toward a same-day purchase of a membership. 

Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission.