The restored film A Spring for the Thirsty (1965) by director Yuriy Ilyenko will be presented at this year’s New York Film Festival in the Revival/Currents section. This was reported by Fixafilm, the company that carried out the film’s restoration.
A Spring for the Thirsty is one of the most important works of Ukrainian poetic cinema; the film explores memory, the passage of time, and the experience of war.
It is a visual parable that tells the story of an elderly man who tends a well and generously shares water with everyone. He recalls the community’s former life and tries to preserve what remains of the past. Reality and memories intertwine, turning the film into a poem about time and remembrance. The film’s atmosphere is shaped not only by imagery but also by sound: every rustle, cry, and fall is composed and calibrated down to the smallest detail.
Completed in 1965, Ilyenko’s directorial debut was banned and remained unavailable to audiences for more than 20 years, returning to screens only in 1987, during perestroika.
The digital restoration was completed in 2026 by Fixafilm under the leadership of Lukáš Čeranka, in cooperation with the Dovzhenko Centre, under a license granted by the Dovzhenko Film Studio, and with financial support from the Polish Film Institute (PISF — Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej).
Due to the security situation in Ukraine caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion, the source material was scanned on site in Kyiv from the original 35mm negative, and restored in Warsaw.
Earlier this year, the restoration premiered at the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna.