Jan Švankmajer (Prague, 4 September 1934– ) stands as one of the most visionary voices in world animation, redefining the boundaries between animated and live-action cinema. Emerging from Czechoslovakia alongside masters like Jiří Trnka and the Czech New Wave, he rose to prominence with groundbreaking short films before censorship following the Prague Spring. From Alice onward, his feature works fused techniques with extraordinary imaginative force. A true surrealist artist, he transforms ordinary objects into haunting, poetic visions, evoking the spirit of Franz Kafka and the alchemical mystique of Rudolf II.

A Game with Stones

A Quiet Week in the House

Another Kind of Love

Retrospective: Jan Švankmajer

Darkness–Light–Darkness

1965

1969

1988

1989

Jan Švankmajer (Prague, 4 September 1934– ) stands as one of the most visionary voices in world animation, redefining the boundaries between animated and live-action cinema. Emerging from Czechoslovakia alongside masters like Jiří Trnka and the Czech New Wave, he rose to prominence with groundbreaking short films before censorship following the Prague Spring. From Alice onward, his feature works fused techniques with extraordinary imaginative force. A true surrealist artist, he transforms ordinary objects into haunting, poetic visions, evoking the spirit of Franz Kafka and the alchemical mystique of Rudolf II.