Karel Zeman

Karel Zeman (1910, Ostroměř – 1989, Gottwaldov/ Zlín) worked in advertising as an artist and designer before joining the Zlín special effects studio in 1943. He came to world attention with the poetic A Christmas Dream (1945), combining puppetry with live actors. He created wonderfully delicate animated glass figures in Inspiration (1949) and, in The Treasure of Bird Island (1952), he combined several animation techniques inspired by the Persian miniature. His career culminated during the 1950s and 1960s when he created a unique blend of feature and animated sets based on illustrations by Jules Verne and other authors. It was during this time that he produced wonderful films full of fantastic and poetic ideas, such as Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955), A Deadly Invention (1958), Baron Munchausen (1961), The Stolen Airship (1966) and On the Comet (1970), which garnered numerous international awards.

48. MFF Karlovy Vary