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Iraketu
Who?
A self-labeled surrealist known for his animations and features that are extremely
weird. Born on September 4th 1934 in Prague, Czech Republic. He studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague from 1950 to 1954 before enrolling in the puppetry department at the Academy of the Performing Arts. Švankmajer continued to develop his aesthetic by experimenting with puppetry, animation, and avant-garde film techniques. He began making short films in
1964, and continued working in the same medium for over
twenty years, when he finally achieved his long-held ambition to make a feature film based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (
Alice (1998)). In thirty years time, he managed to made some of the most memorable and unique animated films ever made, gaining a reputation as one of the world's foremost animators, and influencing filmmakers from
Tim Burton to
The Brothers Quay. On 10 July 2014, he received the 2014 FIAF Award during a special ceremony of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Some of his famous short films are
Darkness Light Darkness (1990), Food (1992) and
Down To The Cellar (1982)
Here are some highlights from his works
