Andrzej Czeczot

EDEN is a hand-painted feature-length animated film directed by Andrzej Czeczot and produced between 1996 and 2002. The story follows Józek, an ordinary man suddenly drawn into a surreal infernal world populated by grotesque figures, shifting identities and unstable realities. As he moves through a landscape of continuous metamorphosis, angels transform into demons, music reshapes space, and familiar cultural symbols dissolve into dreamlike visions. Structured entirely without dialogue and driven by an original score by Michał Urbaniak, the film unfolds through movement, visual transformation and rhythm rather than conventional narrative storytelling. Created entirely using traditional hand-painted animation techniques, EDEN represents a rare example of large-scale European auteur animation from the pre-digital era and is currently undergoing restoration as part of the broader EDEN Universe project.

At sunrise, a peasant begins plowing. This iconographic motif becomes a caricature in the animation. The problem is that the peasant gropes, he plows through the legs of a resting peasant woman, railway tracks, a dining carriage, double bedrooms, office corridors, palace interiors, and meetings of diplomats. His march through the country is shown on TV. The peasant is really surprised to see a TV set in the rump of a horse. He crosses a crowded beach and disappears in the depths of the water together with the setting sun.

A peasant harnesses his young wife to a plow. He disciplines her with a whip and fist. Meanwhile, fantastic creatures fly over the area – winged young men. Love will give her wings.

A grotesque story about life that is similar to a wedding feast. In the beginning it is joyful, later it becomes tiring and old. A young couple leaves a church and goes to their wedding feast. At the end of the animation, there is a bed in a plowed field. We could see an old couple wearing wedding clothes under the duvet.

A couple has sex in different positions under the covers. They are interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. The lover looks for an escape. Finally, he will find it, similarly to other night lovers.

Third of 24 animations done with traditional tapestries, each based on a folk proverb. "Early bird gets the worm"

Angels descend from heaven in order to protect their charges. When the day is over, they return to heaven, where they are guarded by a heavenly shepherd, just like sheep.

First of 24 animations done with traditional tapestries, each based on a folk proverb. "Every dish of mine tastes better than wine."