At the Russian film festival in France, Russians are showing a Ukrainian film as their own

This is evidenced by the poster on the festival’s website.

The Russian film festival is held from March 7 to 17 in two French cities – Paris and Taverny. It has been organized for ten consecutive years.

“We believe that even in these turbulent times, despite the violence from the current authorities, it is necessary to continue to defend and promote Russian culture, including in the field of cinema”, – says the festival’s website.

In the same announcement, the organizers call on viewers to visit their partner cinemas and, in particular, to “pay tribute to the memory of Parajanov” and Otar Iosseliani – the Georgian-French film director who emigrated to France due to Soviet policies.

On Sunday, March 10, within the framework of the festival, the film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” by Ukrainian film director Sergei Parajanov was screened, based on the story of the same name by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky.

“This is Sergei Parajanov’s first masterpiece. Here it is, the Soviet crucible in its best form. There is nothing better than an Armenian from Georgia, educated in Moscow, to revive the vanished Ukrainian world”, – says the poster.

Overall, the festival includes films made during both the Soviet era and contemporary films. They also screen documentaries about Russia. For example, on March 9, there was a screening of anti-war films. In addition, as part of the festival, on March 13, there was a roundtable discussion on the topic “What does it mean to be Russian today?”.

What is known about “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”

“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” is a Ukrainian Soviet feature film directed by Sergiy Parajanov, shot in 1964 at the Kyiv Dovzhenko Film Studio. The cinematography was done by Ukrainian director Yuriy Illienko, and the music was composed by Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk.

The filming took place in the village of Kryvorivnia in the Verkhovyna district of Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine and its surroundings. It was in this area that Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky wrote his novella. In the first year of release, the film was watched by 8.5 million viewers.

Harvard University has included the film on the list of required viewing for students pursuing a higher degree in film studies.

The film holds the first position in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Ukrainian cinema.

During the premiere of the film at the Kyiv “Ukraina” cinema on September 4, 1965, literary critic Ivan Dziuba, literary scholar Vasyl Stus, and journalist Vyacheslav Chornovil urged the audience to stand up in protest against the arrests of Ukrainian intellectuals that had occurred in the summer of 1965. They, along with the director himself, were soon repressed by the Soviet authorities.

Photo: still from the movie