The Metrograph is screening Jiří Barta's "The Pied Piper" and "The Vanished World of Gloves." This double feature presents Barta's distinctive animated films, restored by Deaf Crocodile Films in collaboration with Krátký Film Praha and The Comeback Company. The screening on Saturday, April 18th will include an introduction by Dr. Tereza Porybná, Director of the Czech Center New York. This event is part of "The Weird and Wonderful World of Czech Animation" series.

The Pied Piper & the Vanished World of Gloves with Dr. Tereza Porybná (Director of the Czech Center New York)

Jiří Barta's bleak retelling of the traditional German yarn, known for its disturbing elements, features a visual vocabulary influenced by medieval Flemish painting, Cubism, and German Expressionism. This deeply pessimistic work showcases a grotesque world of wood and metal puppets alongside live vermin, communicating in a nonsense tongue. The screening also includes Barta’s "The Vanished World of Gloves," a brief history of cinema depicted through titular garments.