Theatre Svoboda

Running time: 98 mins

He was perhaps the most influential scenographer in the world, yet you may never have heard his name.

In over 350 productions worldwide, Josef Svoboda created some of the most visionary stage designs of the 20th century, astonishing both for their technical innovation and their intensely theatrical artistry. But his true genius lay in his work with light. He said: "Darkness is my raw material. Just as the sculptor needs his clay, the carver needs his wood; I carve my theatre out of darkness." Yet he himself was a mystery shrouded in darkness: complex, politically ambiguous, personally removed.

Directed by his grandson, filled with fascinating information and jaw-dropping images, Theatre Svoboda is?fittingly enough for a film about a man whose forte was light itselr?a truly illuminating experience.

- Charlie Cockey

Preceded by the short film: Dripped; dir. Leo Verrier; France; 9 min.; Jack steals paintings from museums to feed himself, but when the museums are closed...