Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors - The Criterion Collection

A towering achievement of world cinema, Sergei Parajanov's modernist landmark fuses folkloric traditions, animistic mysticism, and hallucinatory visual invention. Adapted from a 1911 novella by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors follows Ivanko (Ivan Mykolaichuk), a young Hutsul peasant who experiences both the depths of grief and glimmers of hope as he attempts to move beyond his first love, Marichka (an ethereal Larysa Kadochnykova). Steeped in the earthy atmosphere of the Carpathian Mountains, and featuring kinetic, radiantly colourful cinematography by Yuri Illienko and a collagelike experimental soundtrack, Parajanov's film is a singularly mythopoeic work of art.

Special Features

Commentary: Joshua First (historian), Documentaries: 'The Lilac Wind of Paradjanov' (2025), Interviews: Larysa Kadochnykova (actor), New introduction by Martin Scorsese (The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project founder); 'Shadowsur' (2026): Short film by Martiros Vartanov about Sergei Parajanov's son; Essay by Carmen Gray (critic); Cover by Jason Hardy

Audio Languages: Ukrainian

Duration: 96 minutes

Number of Discs: 2

Subtitle Languages: English

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