26-02-2016

OBITUARY: Czech Animator Zdeněk Smetana

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    PRAGUE: Acclaimed Czech animator and artist Zdeněk Smetana, awarded in Cannes, Berlin and Venice passed away at 90 due to illness.

    His career started in 1946 at the Bratři v triku animation studio and he was awarded with more than 50 awards including the Jury Prize in the Short Films Competition of the Cannes Film Festival for Cubes/Krychle (1980). His work consists of approximately 400 films including four long films and also TV series.

    He was best-known for the long-running TV show Večerníček, with bedtime stories for children. Much of his most popular animated work for children came from the 1970s and 1980s. After this period, he became more involved in graphic art.

    He received a lifetime achievement award at the Anifest Animation Festival in Třeboň in 2014.