Břetislav Pojar facts for kids
Břetislav Pojar (born October 7, 1923 – died October 12, 2012) was a famous Czech puppeteer, animator, and director. He made many short and feature films, often using puppets or stop motion animation.
Pojar was born in Sušice, which was part of Czechoslovakia at the time. He began his career in the late 1940s. One of his first jobs was working on a film called The Story of the Bass Cello (1949). He learned a lot from his mentor, Jiří Trnka, who was a master Czech puppet animator. Pojar worked as a puppeteer for Trnka.
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His Work in Czechoslovakia
Břetislav Pojar created many films as a director and animator in Czechoslovakia. He was skilled in both puppet animation and the more common stop motion animation. Stop motion is a technique where you move objects slightly between each photo, making them look like they are moving when the photos are played quickly. He even worked with the United Nations on two films, Boom and The Big If.
Moving to Canada
In the mid-1960s, Pojar moved to Canada. There, he started a long and successful partnership with the National Film Board of Canada. Many of his best-known films were made during this time in Canada. These films won awards at important international film festivals. For example, his film To See or Not to See (Psychocratie) won the top film award in Canada in 1970.
Pojar's Unique Style
Pojar's films often had a strong message about society. For instance, in his film Balablok, armies of small circle-shaped and square-shaped characters fight each other. They keep fighting until they are all wounded and look exactly the same. This showed how pointless conflicts can be. Often, Pojar's short films had very little or no talking, letting the animation tell the story.
Later Years and Legacy
In the mid-2000s, Pojar returned to the Czech Republic. He co-directed an animated feature film called Fimfárum 2, which was released in 2006. This film was based on stories by Jan Werich. Břetislav Pojar passed away in Prague in 2012 when he was 89 years old. His work continues to be celebrated for its creativity and meaningful messages.
Awards and Recognition
Břetislav Pojar received many awards for his animated films throughout his career:
- 1960 – Annecy Cristal Grand Prix for The Lion and the Song.
- Around 1969 – Canadian Film of the Year for To See or Not To See.
- Around 1969 – Berlin International Film Festival: Best Short Film Award for To See or Not To See.
- 1972 – Cannes Film Festival: Best Short Film Award for Balablok.
- 1979 – Cannes Film Festival: Best Short Film Jury Prize for Bum.
- 1981 – Berlin International Film Festival: Otto Dibelius Film Award for New Media for E.
- 1987 – World Animation Celebration: L.A. Film Critic's Award for Nightangel.
- 2006 – AniFest (Czech Republic): Best Feature-Length Film Award for Fimfárum 2.
- 2007 – Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials (Hungary): Best TV Special for Tom Thumb from Fimfárum 2.
See also
In Spanish: Břetislav Pojar para niños
