OVID

05/11/2026

Thank you KPFK Film Club!

OVID.TV THIS WEEK, 5/8/26

This week: Christopher Nolan presents The Quay Brothers, Vintage Czech Gems, Chris Marker, and more! OVID overheard you were into gloriously restored gems once lost to time, so this week, OVID presents Czech occult horrors, surreal comedies, and dark fantasies. They’re also presenting the Quay Brothers’ first full-length feature film in two decades, and it’s blowing everyone’s minds… Enjoy!

NOW STREAMING at https://www.ovid.tv/

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN PRESENTS:
SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS, Directed by The Quay Brothers. From the makers of Cabinet of Jan Svankmeyer and Institute Benjamenta comes this beguiling concoction of live action and stop-motion animation inspired by the writings of Polish author Bruno Schulz that weaves a dreamlike tale of one man’s journey through time, space, life, and death to find his father.

PRAGUE NIGHTS, Directed by Miloš Makovec, Jiří Brdečka and Evald Schorm. In the vein of horror anthologies like Bava’s Black Sabbath, this long-unseen gem is a supernatural vision of ancient and modern Prague filled with Qabbalistic magic, occult rituals, clockwork automatons and satanic visitors.

THE PIED PIPER, Directed by Jiří Barta. This brilliant stop-motion adaptation of The Pied Piper of Hamelin is one of Czechoslovakia’s most ambitious animation projects of the 1980s, notable for its unusual dark art direction, innovative animation techniques, and use of a fictitious language.

THE MYSTERIOUS CASTLE IN THE CARPATHIANS, Directed by Oldrich Lipský. A unique and almost indescribable mix of gothic fiction, steampunk gadgetry, slapstick comedy and romantic opera. In 1897, in a castle near the town of Werewolfville in the Carpathians, a slightly deranged Professor Orfanik experiments with his new inventions which include, even at this early date, television and a film camera.

THE GOLDEN FERN, Directed by Jirí Weiss. Czech director Jiří Weiss’s breathtaking B&W fairy tale is one of the most unjustly neglected treasures of 1960s fantasy filmmaking, a hauntingly lyrical work with overtones of Wojciech Has’s The Saragossa Manuscript and Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast.

LE JOLI MAI, Directed by Chris Marker & Pierre Lhomme. It’s recommend that you revisit Le Joli Mai (The Lovely Month of May), a portrait of Paris and Parisians during May 1962, the first springtime of peace after the ceasefire with Algeria, and the first time in 23 years that France was not involved in war.

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Check out OVID's May lineup: https://metafilm.ovid.tv/

05/10/2026

“A dark and haunting fairy tale… Jirí Weiss subtly weaves elements of the magical or miraculous.” —Slant Magazine

Czech director Jiří Weiss’s breathtaking fairy tale THE GOLDEN FERN is one of the most unjustly neglected treasures of 1960s fantasy filmmaking, a hauntingly lyrical work with overtones of Wojciech Has’s The Saragossa Manuscript and Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast. With Vít Olmer, Daniela Smutná, Karla Chadimová, Frantisek Smolík

Now streaming courtesy Deaf Crocodile

05/08/2026

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN PRESENTS: SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS by THE QUAY BROTHERS: a "surreal stop-motion fantasia" and "wonderfully strange niche item that connoisseurs will no doubt treasure" now dreaming/streaming on OVID courtesy

05/08/2026

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN PRESENTS:
SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS
by THE QUAY BROTHERS

“If you close your eyes, you might wake up inside the movie, unstuck from time yourself.” —Nicholas Rapold, The New York Times

”Too wonderfully strange and beguiling for mainstream animation audiences… a niche item that connoisseurs will no doubt treasure.” —Screen International

From the makers of "The Cabinet of Jan Svankmeyer" and "Institute Benjamenta" comes this beguiling concoction of live-action and stop-motion animation inspired by the writings of Polish author Bruno Schulz that weaves a dreamlike tale of one man’s journey through time, space, life, and death to find his father.

With Tadeusz Janiszewski, Wioletta Kopanska, Andrzej Klak on OVID courtesy KimStim

05/08/2026

“Jiří Barta’s ambitious 55-minute animation recasts The Pied Piper as a parable about capitalism run amok, amplifying the avarice of the townsfolk into depraved gluttony.” —Chicago Reader

THE PIED PIPER, a brilliant stop-motion adaptation of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, is one of Czechoslovakia’s most ambitious animation projects of the 1980s, notable for its unusual dark art direction, innovative animation techniques, and use of a fictitious language.

“Combines the horrors of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with Metropolis, as filtered through medieval carving techniques… mesmerizing.” —Slant Magazine

With Oldrich Kaiser, Jirí Lábus, Michal Pavlícek, Vilém Cok

Now streaming courtesy Deaf Crocodile

05/07/2026

"If you yearn for sound, color and elaborate fantasy trappings... this would be a great time to head over to arthouse streaming platform OVID." —Dennis Harvey at 48 Hills reviews our new restored Czech gems and the Quay Brothers’ first full-length film in two decades!

Back to the Castro with plenty of rarities and gems. Plus: Tap into Ovid for a wacky 1974 Lithuanian rock opera and more.

05/07/2026

“Surreal and slyly subversive.” —Slant Magazine

THE MYSTERIOUS CASTLE IN THE CARPATHIANS is a unique and almost indescribable mix of gothic fiction, steampunk gadgetry, slapstick comedy and romantic opera. In 1897, in a castle near the town of Werewolfville in the Carpathians, a slightly deranged Professor Orfanik experiments with his new inventions.

Now streaming on OVID courtesy Deaf Crocodile
Directed by Oldrich Lipský, with Miloš Kopecký, Michal Dočolomanský, Evelyna Steimarová

05/06/2026

“A heady brew of adroit artistry. One may be as warmed by the naughtiness at play as they are chilled by the dread... PRAGUE NIGHTS will delight fans of both horror and European Cinema alike.” —The Movie Isle

“A delightful, visually ravishing horror odyssey through modern and medieval Prague.” —The Movie Sleuth

This long-lost Sixties Czech occult horror anthology film directed by Miloš Makovec, Jiří Brdečka and Evald Schorm is courtesy Deaf Crocodile

05/04/2026

David Gutnik’s RULE OF TWO WALLS via IndieWire’s David Ehrlich:

'Here’s Christian Zilko on a documentary that has been haunting me for the better part of two years:

“In the opening moments of RULE OF TWO WALLS, two Ukrainian lovers lounge in bed together, trading inside jokes while the last few glimmers of light slip away. It’s a moment that could be found in any number of romantic films — until it’s interrupted by the ear-piercing wail of air raid sirens.

Ukrainian filmmaker David Gutnik’s new documentary utilizes a hybrid approach that combines traditional nonfiction filmmaking with elements of narrative drama. It follows real Ukrainians who refuse to flee the country and have doubled down on their commitment to making art, but certain scenes are scripted. And while the convenient timing and intimacy point to the opening scene as manufactured drama, it doesn’t make the metaphor any less truthful.

RULE OF TWO WALLS is a tableau of contradictions that captures humanity’s unrelenting desire to create and connect and the barbaric circumstances forcing so many Ukrainians to focus on more immediate threats. Life isn’t stopping in Ukraine, no matter how much Vladimir Putin might want it to — but the most magical moments are never guaranteed to last longer than the blink of an eye.”'

Streaming on OVID courtesy Visit Films

Directed by David Gutnik • Documentary • 2023 • 77 minutes RULE OF TWO WALLS is an intimate look at the war in Ukraine, as seen through the eyes of Ukrainian artists who remained in their country to make art as a defiant act in the face of aggression.

05/04/2026

Thanks KPFK Film Club!

OVID.TV THIS WEEK, 5/1/26

This week: Serge Gainsbourg wannabe, the Extraordinary Emerik Blum, Behind-the-scenes of Luxury Hotels, and more! NOW STREAMING at https://www.ovid.tv/

BLUM: MASTERS OF THEIR OWN DESTINY, Directed by Jasmila Žbanić. Academy Award–nominated and BAFTA-winning director Jasmila Žbanić sheds light on an extraordinary historical figure Emerik Blum, a Sarajevo-born engineer and founder of Energoinvest.

PERSONALE, Directed by Carmen Trocker. Carmen Trocker's subtly radical observational documentary immerses us behind-the-scenic-scenes. Set at a four-star hotel in northeastern Italy, a luxurious spot in the Italian Dolomites, guests come to ski, swim, and relax. Yet we see none of this. Instead, the film focuses on the unseen: the housekeeping staff, migrant workers — from southern Italy, eastern Europe, and north and west Africa — who are at the bottom of the hotel hierarchy, but without whom nothing churns.

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INITIALS S.G., Directed by Rania Attieh, Daniel A. Garcia. Down on his luck, an aging Serge Gainsbourg wannabe struggles with an acting career he can’t seem to get on track, an affair he doesn’t want, and a crime he didn’t mean to commit.

RULE OF TWO WALLS, Directed by David Gutnik. An intimate look at the war in Ukraine, as seen through the eyes of Ukrainian artists who remain in their country to make art as a defiant act in the face of aggression. Enjoy the KPFK Film Club Review: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0jLP7ciW9W2JaBBiEKSQmqfasMaLW7QPPHm53JfybfmxXNPeThzZwqUjVwYsf6tedl&id=100064060922507

A POEM FOR LITTLE PEOPLE, Directed by Ivan Sautkin. In cinéma vérité style, this film documents the most vulnerable people on front lines of the war in Ukraine, and the volunteers of an evacuation team who risk their lives to save them.

A POEM FOR LITTLE PEOPLE, Directed by Steven Cantor and Peter Spirer. With Sally Mann . Using her own children as subjects, the controversial photographer Sally Mann explores the subtle truths of childhood. This fascinating visit to the rural bohemia of the photographer's home includes her main muses: her eerily self-possessed children.

Check out OVID's May lineup: https://metafilm.ovid.tv/