Revivals
A Well for the Thirsty
Yuri Ilyenko
North American Premiere of New 4K Restoration
Completed in 1965 but suppressed by Soviet authorities until its eventual release in 1987, Yuri Ilyenko’s debut feature is a cryptic, visionary work that chronicles the interiority of an old peasant who is beset by memories and apparitions as he prepares for death.
- Runtime
- 71 min
- Country
- Ukraine/
USSR - Language
- Ukrainian
- More information
- Official film page
Screenings
Completed in 1965 but suppressed by Soviet authorities until its eventual release amid the onset of perestroika in 1987, Yuri Ilyenko’s debut feature is a cryptic, visionary work that helped establish the Ukrainian poetic cinema movement (alongside Sergei Parajanov’s Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, on which Ilyenko served as cinematographer). Almost entirely dialogue-free, A Well for the Thirsty paints the interiority of Levko (Dmytro Miliutenko), an old peasant who lives on the perimeter of a desert; his family members are all dead or otherwise gone, and as he makes preparations for his own inevitable death, he is beset by memories and apparitions from throughout his life. With its radical sound design and striking symbolist imagery, A Well for the Thirsty is a singular achievement that announced Ilyenko as a worthy heir of Alexander Dovzhenko.
Restored from the 35mm original camera negative, held at Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre, Kyiv. Scanned by Lukasz Ceranka (Fixafilm) and Oleksandr Bertman (Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre), restored with funding by Fixafilm and the Polish Film Institute, graded with reference to an archival print loaned by the Dovzhenko Centre. Copyright holder: Dovzhenko Film Studio. Special thanks to Olena Honcharuk, Daniel Bird, Pylyp Illienko, Andriy Donchyk, CEO of Dovzhenko Film Studio.
Completed in 1965 but suppressed by Soviet authorities until its eventual release amid the onset of perestroika in 1987, Yuri Ilyenko’s debut feature is a cryptic, visionary work that helped establish the Ukrainian poetic cinema movement (alongside Sergei Parajanov’s Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, on which Ilyenko served as cinematographer). Almost entirely dialogue-free, A Well for the Thirsty paints the interiority of Levko (Dmytro Miliutenko), an old peasant who lives on the perimeter of a desert; his family members are all dead or otherwise gone, and as he makes preparations for his own inevitable death, he is beset by memories and apparitions from throughout his life. With its radical sound design and striking symbolist imagery, A Well for the Thirsty is a singular achievement that announced Ilyenko as a worthy heir of Alexander Dovzhenko.
Restored from the 35mm original camera negative, held at Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre, Kyiv. Scanned by Lukasz Ceranka (Fixafilm) and Oleksandr Bertman (Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre), restored with funding by Fixafilm and the Polish Film Institute, graded with reference to an archival print loaned by the Dovzhenko Centre. Copyright holder: Dovzhenko Film Studio. Special thanks to Olena Honcharuk, Daniel Bird, Pylyp Illienko, Andriy Donchyk, CEO of Dovzhenko Film Studio.