LSD made in ČSSR

Czechoslovakia was the world leader in the production and research of the hallucinogenic known as LSD from the 1950s up until the 1970s. The state -owned factory Spofa was producing it in bulk under the name Lysergamid and doctors conducted experiments on thousands of volunteers as well as on themselves. How was something like this possible in such a guarded totalitarian regime? Doctors were hoping for a cure for several psychological disorders: depression, schizophrenia or addiction. Soldiers, in contrast, were trying to develop a substance which would effectively neutralize the enemy with no casualties or property damage. Pavel Kremen, the director, composed a historical image of the strong hallucinogenic based on the recollections of the doctors who conducted the research as well as the patients who describe their experiences under the influence, illustrating the distorted perception of reality using visualisations. The sociologist Jirina Siklova, the painters Ivo Medek and Jiri Anderle and the actor Boris Hybner share their observations about the controversial research. (Academia Film Olomouc)