Veselka is the story of New York City’s beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka and its father and son proprietors, Tom and Jason Birchard.  When Jason graduated college without a vision for his future, Tom brings him into the family business.  Jason learns that Tom’s dedication to Veselka produces delicious food that satisfies a colorful cast of neighbors and newcomers, but this leaves little time for Tom to be “dad” at work.  

In 2020, Jason takes ownership of Veselka from his reluctant-to-retire father.  He has large shoes to fill, but Jason’s biggest challenge becomes the war in Ukraine.  He is unexpectedly thrust into the role of surrogate father to support his Ukrainian staff impacted by the war.  Jason must explore his past working relationship with his own dad to “feed” his war-torn team as he keeps his business afloat.

For 70 years, Veselka has been the vibrant and welcoming heart of the community and now its role, and Jason’s, is more vital than ever.

Narrated by Golden Globe Winner and Little Ukraine native David Duchovny.

A Q&A with writer/director Michael Fiore and director of photography Bill Winters follows the film. 

Michael Fiore is a New York-based Writer/Producer/Director and the President of Fiore Media Group. As with his previous documentary, the beloved Floyd Norman: An Animated Life(Max, TCM, Criterion Channel), Michael turns his lens towards people who stand up for a cause, the marginalized, and those who are dismissed amidst power.  These are people who are the bright lights in a world leaning into darkness. Michael first learned of Veselka in the late 1990s as a film student at the neighboring NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He recognized Veselka as the vibrant and welcoming heart of NYC’s Little Ukraine community and beyond.  “Veselka is a celebration and exploration of family, community, and the power of food. Michael hopes that “Veselka” brings international attention to Veselka and the Birchards’ far-reaching humanitarian work and impact–which he feels is “more vital than ever.”

Bill Winters is a four-time Emmy Award winning Director of Photography. He is best known for his documentary and commercial work shooting several shows that hit number one on Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Prime.  Notable shows include “Martha” directed by RJ Cutler, “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich ”produced by Joe Berlinger, Jeremy Renner’s “Rennervations” directed by Zach Merck, and “Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World” produced/directed by Michael Fiore.  Bill helped create the look of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” for Jerry Seinfeld and shot season 1 for director Jo Jo Pennebaker. Bill won a Prime Time Creative Arts Emmy Award for his camerawork on Disney+’s Hamilton for Declan Quinn, ASC.  Bill has lit and photographed numerous A-list celebrities including Tom Cruise, Austin Butler, Jennifer Lopez, Barack Obama, Jeremy Renner, Selena Gomez, Jerry Seinfeld, Antonio Banderas, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson, Mike Tyson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lenny Kravitz, Jessica Biel, Gloria Estefan, Martin Sheen, Willem Dafoe, and many more.