Directed by Jiří Trnka • 1965 • Czechoslovakia
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“The Walt Disney of Eastern Europe”, Jiří Trnka was one of the most influential figures in Czech animation history. This subversive allegorical short, one of his most poignant creations, was banned in communist Czechoslovakia for two decades. What begins as a charming puppet film descends into dystopia as a giant hand imposes itself on the hapless protagonist, an innocent potter whose only friend is a house plant. A plaintive commentary on artistic freedom in the age of repression.

THE HAND • RUKA
Written and directed by Jiří Trnka
Cinematography by Jiří Šafář
Music by Václav Trojan

In Czech with English subtitles