"LUCID Dreams - Salvador Dali's Influence on Film," an event to demonstrate the relationship between the surrealist works of Spanish artist Salvador Dali and films, was held yesterday at Rockbund during the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival.

Installations and prints of Dali's representative painting works were put on display. Among them was a giant print of the captivating work "The Madonna of Port Lligat." The painting offers a modern surrealist interpretation of past works from the Renaissance. It shows the artist's superb imagination and a passion for creating fantastic things and things like a dream.

Experts note that the striking and bizarre images in Dali's surrealist paintings have a delicate connection with film.

Cui Baozhong, president of VIA Paris said that the artist managed to find a balance between the two kinds of art - painting and film.

"His surrealist works inspire people to explore the real world and the true self, and pay attention to every single detail of life," Cui added.

When he was young, Dali was intensely interested in film. He was part of the era where silent films were being viewed and drawing on the medium of film became popular.

In 1928, he co-created a classic, revolutionary short film "Un Chien Andalou" with Luis Buñuel. This film with dreamlike images is what Dali is known for in the independent film world. The second film he produced with Buñuel was entitled "L'Age d'Or."

In his life Dali also worked with Alfred Hitchcock. He was invited to create the dream sequence in the film "Spellbound." He also worked with Walt Disney on the short film production "Destino." In the film, Dali's artworks interact with Disney's character animation.

According to Chen Junjun, founder of Somersault Cloud Film, an organizer of the exhibition, they have long been concerned with Dali's achievements and contribution to cinema. In the near future, they are considering to present a series of film productions about Dali's art.