Jan Svankmajer

Jan Švankmajer is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work covers many areas of media. He is a surrealist and is known for his surreal animations and features which have greatly influenced other artists such as Terry Gilliam, the Brothers Quay, and many others. Švankmajer studied at the College of Applied Arts in Prague and then later worked in the Department of Puppetry at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts.

Švankmajer assisted in the film 'Doktor Faust' in 1958 and subsequently began working for Prague's Semafor theatre. experience he gained from his jobs in the theatre were clearly reflected in the film 'The Last Trick' - the first film he released in 1964.

He gained a good reputation over the following decades for his unique style of stop-motion animation. One method he used was the use of over exaggerated sounds, often in eating scenes, to portray a surreal atmosphere to the audience. He uses a lot of speed changes, usually when people are speaking or walking to make a tense and suspenseful effect.

Švankmajer is currently working on a project called 'Insects' with a budget of 40m CZK, and this film should be released in 2015. This film will feature insects and how they live their lives, Švankmajer says "bugs behave as a human beings, and people behave as insects."