Jan ŠVANKMAJER is a Czech filmmaker, animator, and undoubtedly one of the most prominent artists of European cinema. His unique and surreal styles of directing gave him a reputation as a grandmaster of puppetry and animation. His work has influenced great artists such as Terry GILLIAM and the Quay Brothers. He made more than 30 films, short and long, starting from his first feature The Last Trick (1964) to his last, Insect (2018). The making of Athanor – The Alchemical Furnace was planned after he directed Insect, as an attempt to preserve his artistry. The film is filled with interviews with his long-term collaborators, interviews with his spouse, who has been his great artistic partner, let alone archive and footage from many of his films, including his best-known feature film Alice (1988). From this film, we get to meet a great artist and happy man full of Czech sense of humor and poetic genius. [CHUN Jinsu]