The Timeless Film Festival Warsaw, taking place from April 7–14, 2025, presents a retrospective dedicated to the works of the Quay Brothers. Stephen and Timothy Quay studied in Philadelphia before continuing their education in London. After working as book illustrators in New York, they moved to Europe and established their own animation studio in London.
Their films, renowned for their eerie and surreal aesthetic, combine stop-motion animation with live-action elements and haunting soundscapes. Influenced by Central European culture, their work draws inspiration from Franz Kafka, Bruno Schulz, and Robert Walser, as well as the avant-garde cinema of Jan Lenica, Walerian Borowczyk, and Jan Švankmajer. The photography of Josef Sudek has also shaped their atmospheric style.
The retrospective showcases their celebrated short films, including “Street of Crocodiles”, alongside all their feature-length works: “Institute Benjamenta, or "This Dream People Call Human Life”, “The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes” and their latest film, “Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass”. This adaptation of Bruno Schulz’s prose has its Polish premiere at the festival.
The Quay Brothers are the special guests of the Festival.
The partners of the retrospective are the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the British Council, and the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute.