Jan Švankmajer Film Festival 2015

Terry Gilliam names him as one of his greatest influences, while his often surrealistic, haunting and complex stories have been called both Kafkaesque and strangely accessible. His animated films were banned in Communist Czechoslovakia and only found acclaim after the end of the Cold War, so it's no surprise that even many cinephiles remain unaware of Jan Švankmajer. This programme at Shibuya's Image Forum thus offers a nice chance to get acquainted with the Czech master, who is still active and vocal at the age of 80. The programme consists of three full-length films (Alice (1988), Little Otik (2000) and Surviving Life (2010)), plus 20 shorts shown in three separate combinations. Screening details can be found here (in Japanese only).