Indie Memphis 2008

Best known for his collaborations with rock iconoclast Frank Zappa in the 1970s (Dub Room Special, Baby Snakes, The Amazing Mr. Bickford), legendary underground animator Bruce Bickford has influenced generations of artists with his startlingly original vision. PROMETHEUS' GARDEN is the only film over which Bickford maintained complete creative control.

Inspired by the Greek myth of Prometheus, a Titan who created the first mortals from clay and stole fire from the gods, PROMETHEUS' GARDEN immerses viewers in a cinematic universe unlike any other. The dark and magical images of this haunting film unfold in a dreamlike stream of consciousness revealing an unlikely cast of clay characters engaged in a violent struggle for survival. Like all Bickford films, PROMETHEUS' GARDEN defies description and simply must be experienced.

Bickford is an underground artist who has mystified animation critics and inspired generations of animators, while somehow eluding fame. He has been described as the world’s only “outsider artist” working in the medium of animation. He has been recognized as a “genius” by Frank Zappa and countless other iconoclasts. One thing is certain: Bickford is a true original. In his collaborations with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, Bickford relinquished creative control of his work. Consequently, PROMETHEUS' GARDEN is his most comprehensive and least compromised vision.

“Wildly imaginative and morbidly funny” - SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“Surreal, absurd and metaphorical” - ANIMATION MAGAZINE

“Psychedelic metamorphosis” - ANIMATION WORLD JOURNAL