In 1967, Jan Švankmajer participated in the Terre des Hommes competition of the Montreal International Film Festival by submitting "L'homme et la technique." The rules of this international competition stipulated that the films should last 50 seconds, contain no dialogue and be inspired by the themes of Expo 67. This very rare film, which does not appear in the official filmography of Jan Švankmajer, is today preserved by the Cinémathèque Québécoise. Obviously inspired by the director's 1966 short film "Et Cetera," "L'homme et la technique" tackles the themes of reality and dreams.
Director