Welcome to the uniquely surreal world of Czech animation genius Jan Svankmajer. Unsettling, often grotesque, always imaginative and vivid, his stop-motion studies are built out of a distinctive blend of hand-carved puppets and dolls, found objects, decaying food and vegetation, and dead animals and insects. All are blended into the mundane reality of his repressive Socialist (and later post-Soviet) world. Mixing media like a dream weaver, he creates images so primal and grossly sensual that their subversive political satire usually escaped the notice of the censors. His herky-jerky animation is alienating, unnerving, and weirdly beautiful—filled with creations that appear to have crawled in from another dimension. Svankmajer worked in shorts for 20 years before making his first feature in 1989, the nightmarishly creepy Alice (as in Wonderland), which begins the retrospective tonight. All six of his features, including the creepy fairy tale Little Otik (2000) and his live-action Conspirators of Pleasure (1996) will screen from 35mm prints. (NR) SEAN AXMAKER

Fri., June 15, 8 p.m.; June 16-21, 2012