by Alex Billington
March 15, 2024
Source: YouTube
"With food you can connect anybody." Catch the officiail trailer for a documentary titled Veselka about a restaurant called Veselka. The full title is Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World. This premiered earlier in 2024 and already opened in limited theaters a few weeks ago. We're just catching up with it now and happy to feature the trailer anyway (I've been to this place a few times when I lived in NYC!). As the second generation owner of New York's beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka (see Google Maps) reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressure of stepping into his father's shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family & staff. It documents Veselka following the pandemic when it becomes one of the main hubs in the city for supporting Ukrainians after the war breaks out in 2022. The doc is narrated by David Duchovny, and features saxophone solos by David Sanborn. It looks uplifting and charming, not only a good story about a NYC staple, also a story about how to really make a difference.
Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Michael Fiore's doc Veselka, direct from YouTube:
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World by producer & writer & director Michael Fiore spotlights New York City's beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka. For 70 years, it is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine. As the second-generation owner Tom Birchard reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressures of stepping into his father’s shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family and staff. Narrated by David Duchovny. Veselka is written and directed by the editor / producer / filmmaker Michael Fiore, co-director of the doc film Floyd Norman: An Animated Life previously, and a few other short films. And it's also produced by Michael Fiore. This initially premiered at the 2024 Santa Barbara Film Festival earlier this year. The film already opened in select US theaters on February 23rd, 2024 earlier this year. Watch out for this on VOD / streaming soon.