Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World

An extremely touching documentary with multiple layers of endearing subjects, from Little Ukraine in NYC, to a wonderful family restaurant, to showing support for Ukraine. It moves from a general overview to a emotionally charged look at the lives changed by the Russian invasion. The documentary stands as an indepth look at the traumatic stress caused by war on those far from the battle lines through the emotional suffering of loved ones, and presents how human interaction and compassion can be the ultimate gift for those suffering from war inflicted trauma. Though the documentary does not look indepth at the Russian invasion of Ukraine directly, the viewer can feel the horror inflicted directly on those involved. A must see!

This is such an incredible and moving movie that shows not only the ins and outs of a locally loved restaurant, but of a family that truly sticks together during tough times. This movie shows you just how hard the war has hit Ukrainians and how they have banded together to help one another. You will see some of the harsh realities but you will also experience the powerful love they all share and how they overcome such terrible circumstances. The owners of Veselka are some truly wonderful people and will have you marveling at their generosity and tenacity. A remarkable piece that I cannot recommend enough!

"Go see it!" is all I can say about Veselka! It is full of beautiful, heartwarming, moving, timely and raw human stories. With music by David Sanborn, narration by David Duchovny, the stories bring you into the film. Directed, produced, written and edited by the talented and creative Michael Fiore, the movie is a reminder of real life and the struggles that people face with war, even thousands of miles away. But Veselka also reminds me that food and eateries, especially internationally focused ones, allow people to gather to do more than just eat. Even more, the movie shows that there are good humans in the world making a difference for the better. The world needs to see these impactful stories.

Veselka is a terrific film. It is really about family. The film starts with 3 generations of family that founded and grew the Veselka restaurant business in the East Village of NYC. But it is also about the extended Ukrainian family that grew out of that business accelerated by the war in Ukraine. If you are from NYC or Kansas, I believe you will find the story and the people in the film to be inspirational. Actor David Duchovny did a great job narrating Veselka and saxophonist David Sanborn is an important part of the fabulous soundtrack. The film is in limited release now. I reccomend that you find it at a theater near you now!!

The minute I heard there was going to be a documentary made about the incredible East Village haunt, Veselka, I knew I had to watch. Am I glad I did!

I walked away from this movie completely moved. A powerful story of community, the impact small businesses play in the fabric of world events (in this case, the war in Ukraine), and family.

The empathy, great sense of community care, vulnerability, and joy of the people featured in the documentary is palpable. You can feel their impact and intentions emanate from the screen.

I encourage all to watch Veselka and to find the people doing this important work in their own communities. This is how we change the world.