Jan Svatoš

svatos Director and producer
MgA. Jan Svatoš

  • Born on 14 May 1984. Graduated from the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU), the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University in Prague (FSV UK) and the Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček in Písek (FAMO).
  • He won the prestigious international JADE KUNLUN Special Jury Award for his documentary wildWORKS.
  • He is the author of more than 8 documentaries, most of which were among the competing films screened at international film festivals.
  • His most successful films are Africa Obscura (triple awarded), wildWORKS and Nobody asked, which addresses the wild expulsion of Germans from Brno. Svatoš organized the Photographic Backpacking Expedition in 2010, where he spent 40 days in the inhospitable regions of northern Kenya taking photographs with old analogue devices and developing films in a portable darkroom.

 

 

FAMU on the list of TOP 10 best film schools

Jan Svatoš is the graduate from the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU), which is the fifth oldest film school in the world and one of the most prestigious, according to the Hollywood Reporter magazine.

 

International collaboration

Jan and Romi regularly collaborate with non-profit organizations both in the Czech Republic and abroad. E.g.: Kenya Wildlife Service (Kenya), International film festival NaturVision (Germany), Martin and Osa Johnson Safari museum (USA) or the US Embassy in Prague.

Touching Africa Festival. The festival, which was founded in 2011 by Jan Svatoš and Romi Straková, endeavours to come up with an alternative to media stereotypes and to introduce the Czech general public to the diverse cultures of the African continent. Its aim is to raise awareness of modern African society, its art and values using music performances, workshops and lectures.

Filmography

  •  Causa Carnivora (2015) – documentary (26′), production “Hnutí Duha” (NGO)
  • Loose Moose (2014) – documentary (26′), production Czech Television
  • wildWORKS (2013) – documentary essay (52′), co-production Czech Television, FAMO and Jan Svatoš
  • Drinking water from gutter anymore! (2013) – documentary (26′), production Czech Television
  • Afropolis (2012) – documentary (26′), co-production Czech Television and Jan Svatoš
  • Nobody asked (2012) – student film, documentary (18′), production FAMO
  • Africa Obscura (2010) – film debut, documentary (52′), co-production Czech Television and Jan Svatoš
  • March of Death (2010) – videoart (5′), produced at FAMUFEST

Festival awards and presentation at international film festivals:

 Africa obscura (2011)

  • IFF EKOFILM – Award for best screenplay
  • IFF TOURFILM Karlovy Vary – 2nd prize in category “Travelogue”
  • IFF OUTDOOR FILMS – Award for 3rd place
  • Award of Pavel Koutecký – competiton

Nobody asked (2012)

  • FINÁLE PLZEŇ 2013 – competition
  • EAST SILVER DOC market at IFF JIHLAVA
  • IFF Student films in Písek – screening

 wildWORKS (2013)

  • IFF World Mountain – Jade Kunlun Special Jury Award
  • IFF Life Science – Student Jury Award
  • IFF ACADEMIA OLOMOUC – competition
  • IFF ENVIROFILM (Slovakia) – screening
  • Selected among 25 most important documentaries in 2014 (Czech Film Center)

 

     “For the original topic, innovative and humble approach to work with period materials and devices, and their confrontation with the present day.”

  ( international jury’s verdict, Ekofilm 2011)

 

“The documentary wildWORKS demonstrates the importance of constant reflection on how we treat nature. The principles showed by the director Jan Svatoš …are valid throughout the nations.”

(international jury’s verdict, World Mountain Documentary festival)