The most famous Ukrainian film of the second half of the 20th century tells a lyrical-ethnographic myth from the land of the Hutsuls on the fringe of southwestern Ukraine and northern Romania, an unfortunate story of two lovers coming from conflicting family clans. Yuri Ilyenko's camera observes the story either through the eyes of the protagonists, or an using an unbiased look, which in turn gives way to the enchantment of the Hutsul way of life, especially to its festive character.

Sergej Paradžanov

One of the masters of the 20th-century cinema was born in Tbilisi to Armenian parents. After finishing studies in Moscow, he spent most of his active career in Ukraine and Caucasian Soviet republics. The success and somewhat indefinite status of his films Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and The Colour of Pomegranates (1969) led to Parajanov spending a relatively significant part of his life in prison.