Born in Prague in 1934, Jan Švankmajer is a surrealist who works in stop-motion animation, puppets and live action, and has been a member of the Czech and Slovak Surrealist Group since the 1970s. His short films, such as Dimensions of Dialogue (1982), mix everyday objects, clay and food with an anarchic and often disturbing imagination. His feature Alice (1988) takes a dark and tactile view of Lewis Carroll's story. He was banned from filming by the communist authorities in the 1970s. Terry Gilliam and the Brothers Quay have cited him as an inspiration.
Filmography
- The Flat (1968)
- Dimensions of Dialogue (1982)
- Alice (1988) (1988)
- Faust (1994) (1994)
- Conspirators of Pleasure (1996)
- Little Otik (2000)
- Lunacy (2005)
- Surviving Life (2010)
- Insects (2018)