MASTERWORKS OF CZECH ANIMATION
The animation arts reached a creative pinnacle in Czechoslovakia after the Second World War. Dozens of artists and puppeteers, making hundreds of short films at the state-run Studio Bratri v triku in Prague, were daring, witty, and essentially unrivaled by animators anywhere in the world. They often combined different techniques that might include painted cels, cut-outs, puppets, and live actors. This two-part series is largely a chronological survey (1946 through 1989) and includes many artists, from the well-known Karel Zeman, Jiří Trnka, Jan Švankmajer, and Břetislav Pojar, to other lesser-known but equally influential animators. The power and prestige of Czech animation has been recognized in the recent filmmaking of Timothy and Stephen Quay, Terry Gilliam, and many more. 35 mm prints are from the collection of the National Film Archive in Prague, with thanks to Michal Bregant, the archive staff, and the Embassy of the Czech
Republic.

CZECH ANIMATED SHORTS I
Sun, Mar 16 (4:30)
The Jumper and SS Men
(1946, 13 minutes);
The Revolt of Toys
(1947, 14 minutes);
About a Millionaire Who Stole the Sun
(1948, 8 minutes);
Inspiration
(1948, 10 minutes);
One Glass Too Many
(1953, 19 minutes);
The Merry Circus
(1951, 12 minutes);
The Lion and the Song
(1959, 15 minutes); television commercials (1950s);
A Place in the Sun
(1959, 5 minutes)

CZECH ANIMATED SHORTS II
Sat, Mar 29 (1:30)
Passion
(1961, 8 minutes);
The Opening Speech Will Be Given By
(1962, 11 minutes);
What the Earthworm Didn't Know
(1969, 7 minutes);
The Incorrectly Drawn Hen
(1963, 13 minutes);
Archangel
Gabriel and Mistress Goose
(1964, 29 minutes);
Bird Lives
(1973, 9 minutes);
The Hand
(1965, 18 minutes);
The Extinct World of Gloves
(1982, 17 minutes);
Dimensions of Dialogue
(1983, 11 minutes);
Etude from an Album
(1987, 4 minutes)