VESELKA: The Rainbow on the Corner (2024) just premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and hits theaters February 23

 

The life and times of a the Lower Eastside New York institution that started  as news stand and morphed into a late night hang out and became the center of the Ukrainian community in New York City. While it’s a film that is firmly focused on the family and people who run the restaurant, the film is still going to leave you hungry for some good Ukrainian food.

Veselka is a legendary New York eatery. It’s a place you go to where you want good comfort food. It doesn’t matter if it’s Ukranian or not (they have other things on the menu), it’s just good. I’ve eaten there many times, the last being Tribeca last year when a friend was bring a bunch of Ukrainian filmmakers to get some food that was like home.

There is magic in this film.

It’s a wonderful story of community that makes you lean in and feel part of what’s going on on screen. It doesn’t matter if you’ve ever been to Veselka or not, it simply matters if you are human or not.  This is the story of how one island can make a difference in people’s lives for the better.

I was moved. I was also surprised. There was a point about a half an hour in when I thought, where is this going to go, they’ve covered the history of the restaurant and the family there is no where to go. I was wrong there is plenty of places to go. The war in Ukraine happened and at that moment the film shifts, partly to tell a war related story, but to the story of a community. Yes, we knew the story of the eatery, but once the war begins affecting everyone’s lives we see how Veselka is more than just a place to get good food.

As I said the film is magic, it’s the story of connections, the ones we can see and the ones we can’t. It’s a story of hope and perseverance. It’s a film that you feel more and more connected to as it goes on as it moves from being an acquaintance, to being a friend until finally you feel as though you are family to everyone on screen.  You want to give them a hug.

What a great film.

Go see this film (and have dinner plans for afterward because you will leave hungry)

AND YES -It will be playing the Village East Cinema in NYC so you can see the movie and go have dinner.