CNN recognized the documentary about the Ukrainian restaurant in New York as one of the best in 2024

CNN has compiled a list of “documentaries of 2024 that are definitely worth watching,” including a film about the most famous Ukrainian restaurant, Veselka, in New York (USA).

The movie is Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World.

The film tells the story of the evolution of this institution in the Little Ukraine area in New York, where traditional Ukrainian dishes are cooked: dumplings, borsch, and others. It also shows how the restaurant gained new importance after Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Note that the documentary about Veselka was voiced by actor David Duchovny. The American actor grew up two blocks from this restaurant and, therefore, saw the institution’s evolution for decades. The actor is of Ukrainian origin — his grandfather was from Berdychev, Zhytomyr region, but then emigrated to the United States.

The film was released on February 23, 2024 – on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Veselka restaurant was founded in 1954 by Ukrainians Volodymyr and Olha Darmohval, who moved to the United States in the late 1940s.