Švankmajer demonstrates the darkly humorous approach to life and politics which the Czech authorities at one time regarded as so subversive that they banned him from film-making for eight years.

Featuring all 26 entries in the official filmography, this is the world's first complete DVD edition of the short films by the legendary Czech Surrealist filmmaker-animator Jan Švankmajer. Technically and conceptually astonishing in their own right, these films are also as remarkable for their philosophical consistency as for their frequently mind-boggling imagery. This package also includes a bonus short, Johanes Doktor Faust (1958), the longer cut of 'The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer' with a new introduction by the Quay Brothers, the documentary Les Chimeres des Švankmajer (2001), interviews with Jan and Eva Švankmajer and examples of their work in other media. There's also a chance to see some Švankmajer special effects, created when he was banned from directing his own films.

The original 54-minute documentary, as broadcast by Channel Four on 20 June 1984, after which the animated links by the Quay Brothers were recompiled as a separate short.

Jan Merta (1952) is currently one of the most important Czech visual artists. In his painting work, shaped by the postmodernism of the 1980s, he leans towards abstract abbreviation and symbolic depiction of reality through everyday objects. The film is a snapshot of his life filled with painting, working in his garden and cohabitation with his partner. The civilian camera follows Merta as he prepares an exhibition for which he attempts to create new works. However, his engagement with the current geopolitical situation enters into the work, as well as the discovery of new compositional principles and creative otherworldliness that co-create his enchanted personal world.

This film shows the Polish master animator Jan Lenica working on his film Landscape, and explores the relationship of the artist between the real world and his fantasy visions.

Life doesn't happen to you, it happens for you. Regardless what events unfold in your life - good, bad, indifferent - there is always magic in them. You are the alchemist of your own life. Thought by thought, choice by choice, you build your reality. In this series, we explore the magic of... you. The universe. Emotions. Quotes. Living your best and greatest life, and so much more.

A magician returns home to reconnect with his Mother, only to find she has begun a sexual relationship with his childhood friend.

Sunset Shimmer studies her friends' pony hybrid transformations to better understand how magic works in the parallel world.

This animated short tells the story of Anansi, a little spider who is tired of being snubbed by other the jungle animals, especially Mr. Tiger. As Anansi plots and schemes to change things, he realizes he can't gain respect by putting others down.

A docu-poem about people living for over two decades in the Buda forest, near the closed down Kariotiskes dump in Lithuania. After four years of work, this film captures the perspective of the dump dwellers. It tells the story about the dissolving community, its uniqueness, daily routine, specific way of life, every-day joys and sorrows.