Jan Balej (b. 1958, Prague) studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (1988) and has created original puppet films which cultivate the great tradition of Czech hand-crafted puppet animation. Nevertheless, he is shifting the aesthetics of the genre and, in his latest film, he deftly combines classic animation techniques with computer imaging. He continues to work on children's bedtime stories (Tom Thumb, 1994; Doings of the Hippopotamus Family, 2000; Karlík, the Little Golden Fish, 2010), but he also has different age groups in mind. He was acclaimed for his version of Werich's tale Why Is the Sea Salty, Uncle? included in Fimfárum 2 (2006), and for the fanciful, playful collection of film stories One Night in a City (2007 – Czech Lion for Best Art Direction). His designs are highly stylised, betraying his sense of expressive hyperbole and the bizarre. He cofounded the Hafan film Praha studio in 1990, which specializes in puppet films.
50. MFF Karlovy Vary
