The restored film “A Well for the Thirsty” by Yurii Illienko has been selected for the program of the 64th New York Film Festival (NYFF). The film will be screened as part of the festival, which this year will take place from September 25 to October 12.
This was reported by The National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine.
“A Well for the Thirsty” tells the story of an elderly man who tends a well and gives water to travelers. The events unfold in a village that is gradually dying out, while the protagonist’s memories intertwine with reality. Through this story, the film explores themes of time, memory, the connection between generations, and human roots.
“A masterpiece of Ukrainian cinema that was hidden by the Soviet authorities for more than 20 years will be shown in New York... This is not simply a film. It is pure visual poetry wrapped in the form of a parable,” the Union said in its statement.
The film was produced at the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Kyiv Film Studio in 1965. It was Yurii Illienko’s directorial debut. The film was subjected to Soviet censorship and remained inaccessible to audiences for many years; its official screening took place only in the late 1980s.
Yurii Illienko was a Ukrainian cinematographer, director, and screenwriter and one of the representatives of Ukrainian poetic cinema. He studied cinematography at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow, graduating in 1960 with a degree in cinematography.
Illienko received his first international awards for his graduation film “Farewell, Pigeons.” His cinematography was recognized at film festivals in Prague and Locarno.
In 1963, Illienko worked as the cinematographer on Serhii Parajanov’s film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.” In total, he directed 11 films, four of which were included in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Ukrainian cinema. These include “A Well for the Thirsty,” “The Eve of Ivan Kupalo,” “The White Bird Marked with Black,” and “The Legend of Princess Olga.”
For his contribution to cinema, Illienko received Ukrainian and international awards, including the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine in 1991 and the Oleksandr Dovzhenko State Prize of Ukraine in 2005. Among his other honors were awards at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, a British Academy Film Award, a FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, and an honorary diploma at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Illienko was also the author of the book “The Cinema Paradigm,” which is considered the first Ukrainian textbook on film directing. He also wrote the three-volume work “Yurka Illienko’s Report to the Apostle Peter. Self-Portrait of an Alter Ego,” in which he described his life and creative career.
Additional information
The New York Film Festival has been organized by Film at Lincoln Center since 1963. NYFF is one of the oldest and best-known non-competitive film festivals in the United States. Its main program, Main Slate, brings together works by established directors and emerging filmmakers. The festival also presents short and experimental films, retrospectives, and restored films.
Photo: Dovzhenko Centre
Author: Danylo Pievchev