Welcome to Movie Nights @ Pizzeria Antica
Film Fanatic Movie Nights is a series of communal film experiences designed to stimulate the senses, feed the mind, and dazzle the eyes. Each film is presented by a film fanatic curator who introduces the film, sets the stage with background and insight, and leads an informal discussion afterward. Whether you come as a viewer, a movie buff, or a full-on fanatic — you're among friends here.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Ukraine 1965 • 97 min (1.37:1) • Not Rated
Directed by: Sergei Parajanov
Presented by: Sam Veremchuk
Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 6:00pm
Venue: Pizzeria Antica (10 E Chester St, Champaign)
Advance tickets: $10 (available online until 5pm on November 7)
Regular admission: $12 (at the door)
Special offer: Join Film-Fanatic.Club today and get one FREE admission plus one drink ticket (more info)
Note: Upon purchase, your name will be added to our door list (no tickets will be issued). Simply check in at the door at least 10 minutes before the screening starts on the night of the event. Your email receipt is your proof of purchase.
Pizzeria Antica is an ADA accessible venue with designated spaces that can accommodate anyone, including guests who use wheelchairs. Please email ada@film-fanatic.club for more information.
About the film
A cinematic excursion steeped in folklore, ritual, and ecstatic color, this Romeo-and-Juliet-esque tale set in the Carpathian Mountains is considered one of the most internationally heralded Ukrainian films in history. More than a film, it’s a sensory incantation—an explosion of camera movement, mythic symbolism, and visual experimentation that helped redefine what Soviet-era filmmaking could dare to be (though few were able to see the film in the Soviet Union).
Decades later, its hypnotic imagery and rebellious creative spirit still feel startlingly modern, earning it a permanent place as a classic example of Ukrainian magical realist cinema. Unfortunately for Parajanov, the KGB surveilled him for his love of Ukrainian culture and for his sexuality, leading to his arrest for “sodomy” by the Soviet authorities when in reality many at the time believed it was for his love of Ukrainian culture.
#1960sFilm #Arthouse #BigScreenExperience #ClassicFilm #ComingSoon #WorldCinema #UkrainianCinema #SovietCinema
Presented by Samuel Veremchuk
“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965) is a classic of Ukrainian cinema, yet I did not watch the film until early 2023. When I first watched it, I was transported into the Carpathian Mountains, into a timeless and vivid world. The story is universal, but the environment created is specific to the place, and it felt so familiar. It’s Sergei Parajanov's celebration of Ukrainian culture through a stunningly beautiful, almost hypnotic, folk tale of love and loss.
"I was born in Ukraine but raised mostly in the United States. Growing up, I watched many classics of mid to late Soviet cinema, but my Ukrainian family never shared Shadows with me. The film was restricted in the Soviet Union for several reasons. First, it was filmed with Ukrainian audio, not Russian. Soviet films were usually filmed in Russian and then dubbed or subtitled in regional languages. It was also an unapologetic celebration of Ukrainian Hutsul culture, which was deemed 'bourgeois nationalism' by the ruling Russophile class.
“The film was produced during the Khrushchev thaw (during which restrictions on many aspects of life were loosened, including culture), but was released after Nikita Khrushchev was pushed out and restrictions reinstated. The release also coincided with persecution of Ukrainian Soviet intelligentsia, and the film was a site of protest. Therefore, few people in the Soviet Union saw the film, though the film was celebrated internationally. My family knew almost nothing about Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and were unable to introduce me to this classic.
“This background, I believe, should not be separated from the visual enjoyment of the film. The history goes hand in hand with the beautiful culture Parajanov is celebrating and Russia’s history of persecution of the people and culture that continues today. The Russian occupying forces kidnap and reeducate children, torture those that resist their occupation, destroy Ukrainian language and culture in occupied territories, and attack free Ukrainians daily. Relevant to the film, Russia bombed and totally destroyed the historic Dovzhenko Film Studios in Kyiv. All of the costumes and other archival materials from Shadows and many other films were lost.”
—Samuel Veremchuk, PhD Candidate, Art History, University of Illinois
Film-Fanatic.Club • Pizzeria Antica • 10 E Chester St, Champaign
