Veselka, the Ukrainian diner on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, is one of the few restaurants in the city that truly deserves to be called venerable, even iconic.
Veselka has also become a center for New York’s support for embattled Ukrainians, as shown in Michael Fiore’s new documentary, “Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World.” (David Duchovny narrates.)
Veselka’s third-generation proprietor, Jason Birchard, is of Ukrainian ancestry, and many of the staff are from the country as well.
The film (in theaters now) starts as a fun story about a New York institution, and its tone is resolutely hopeful and convivial.
I wrote about “Navalny,” Daniel Roher’s Oscar-winning documentary that covers his opposition to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, and thought of other films that help illuminate the war in Ukraine years into the struggle.
Persons:
Veselka, Michael Fiore’s, David Duchovny, Jason Birchard, Birchard, Aleksei A, “, ” Daniel Roher’s Oscar, Vladimir V, Putin
Organizations:
Center of
Locations:
America, New York, Russian, Ukraine