"Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors": they wanted to recreate Ukrainian symbols and customs without a single Ukrainian

The land is forgotten by God and people, Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi once wrote about Kryvorivnia in Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. Even today, there are three ways to get to Kryvorivnia. There is still no railroad to the village. The nearest railway station is in Vorokhta, 40 km away by mountain roads from Kryvorivnia.  So, first, by train to Vorokhta, then by bus to Verkhovyna, and from there by minibus to Kryvorivnia.

Having once fallen in love with the picturesque Carpathians and Kryvorivnia, being impressed by the customs, life, rituals, and singing of the Hutsul region, Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi wrote a landmark story for Ukrainian literature in 1911, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.

And 50 years later, Serhiy Parajanov shot the cult film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors in Kryvorivnia.

In 1965, the film won the first gold medal in Argentina. The masterpiece entered the Guinness Book of Records for the number of international film awards: 39 of them, 28 of which are film festival awards and 24 are grand prizes from 21 countries.

"Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was named one of the twenty best films in the history of cinema. Harvard University has added the film to the list of must-sees for students applying for a higher degree in film studies. The film was admired by Martin Scorsese and Federico Fellini.

This year, Ukraine celebrates the 100th anniversary of Sergei Parajanov's birth, and the 60th anniversary of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.

I'm finally in Kryvorivnia... In the house where the world-famous movie Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was filmed. And the old house and the hut are like a time machine that takes you back to the last century...

Read more in the Ukrainian version...