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John Barker | |
|---|---|
 Barker in 2022 | |
| Occupation | filmmaker |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Steve Barker (cousin) [1] |
John Barker is a South African filmmaker in Johannesburg. He gained prominence through his feature directorial debut Bunny Chow (2006), which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). His other films include Spud 3: Learning to Fly (2014), Wonder Boy for President (2015), and The Umbrella Men (2022).
Barker was born to parents Clive Barker (Bafana Bafana coach) and Yvonne. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Barker made a documentary Soccer: South of the Umbilo about his childhood growing up in the southern suburbs of Durban, which produced many soccer players and coaches including his father.
Barker wrote, directed and produced South Africa's first music mockumentary Blu Cheez. [2] He next directed the music documentary Kwaito Generals produced by Kutloano Skosana of Black Rage, which focused on the stars who were at the forefront of the Kwaito movement of the late nineties and early 2000s. [3] During this time he joined The Pure Monate Show. [4] He directed sketches in season one and directed and co-wrote sketches for the second season.
Barker then wrote, produced and directed Bunny Chow, which employed a retro scripting technique with the actors improvising their dialogue to communicate the outlined script written by Barker, David Kibuuka, Kagiso Lediga, Joey Rasdien and editor Saki Bergh. [5] Barker next directed Spud 3: Learning to Fly with Troye Sivan, John Cleese and Caspar Lee. Wonder Boy for President [6] is his second retro scripted film with many of his collaborators from Bunny Chow; the film is a satirical look at South African politics. Barker later completed The Umbrella Men , selected to screen at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. [7]
South Africa is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. Amongst black South Africans, a substantial number of rural inhabitants lead largely impoverished lives. Almost all South Africans speak English to some degree of proficiency, in addition to their native language, with English acting as a lingua franca in commerce, education, and government. South Africa has eleven official languages, but other indigenous languages are also spoken by smaller groups, chiefly Khoisan languages.
Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music and Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples, deep bass lines, and vocals. Despite its similarities to hip hop music, Kwaito has a distinctive manner in which the lyrics are sung, rapped and shouted.
The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and it is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for Soccer in South Africa. The team's nickname is Bafana Bafana, and South Africa's home ground is FNB Stadium, which is located in Johannesburg. The team's greatest result was winning the Africa Cup of Nations at home in 1996. The team is a member of both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Bunny chow, often referred to simply as a bunny, is an Indian South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry and a serving of salad on the side. It originated among Indian South Africans of Durban. Throughout various South African communities one can find cultural adaptations to the original version of the bunny chow, which uses only a quarter loaf of bread and is sometimes called a skhambane,kota ("quarter") or shibobo, a name it shares with sphatlho, a South African dish that evolved from the bunny chow.
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie is a 1979 American animated comedy package film directed by Chuck Jones, consisting of a compilation of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts and newly animated bridging sequences hosted by Bugs Bunny. The bridging sequences, which had been produced in 1978, show Bugs at his home, which is cantilevered over a carrot-juice waterfall. The film was released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bugs Bunny.
Bunny Chow is a South African comedy film by John Barker, partnered by MTV. It premiered on 7 September 2006 at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Clive William Barker was a South African football coach. He guided the South Africa national team to their only African Nations Cup title in 1996. He was uncle of Steve Barker.
The SpudFest Family Film and Music Festival was an annual film festival which was established in Driggs, Idaho, U.S.A. in the summer of 2004 by Dawn Wells, the original Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island. It was founded as a natural outgrowth of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and Film Actors Boot Camp.
George Daugherty is an American conductor, director, producer, and writer.
Hank and Mike is a 2008 comedy film directed by Matthiew Klinck, from a screenplay written by Paolo Mancini and Thomas Michael. The film tells the story of two blue-collar Easter Bunnies who get fired and try their hand at an assortment of odd jobs.
Jason Cope is a South African actor. He starred and played multiple roles in the 2009 Academy Award-nominated science fiction film District 9.
Spud is a 2010 South African comedy-drama film written and directed by Donovan Marsh, based on the novel of the same name by John van de Ruit. The film stars Troye Sivan as the title character, alongside John Cleese, Jason Cope and Tanit Phoenix. It was released in South Africa on 3 December 2010.
Patrick Epino is an American filmmaker. His feature film Mr. Sadman made for the Independent Feature Project (IFP) Independent Filmmaker Labs is a satirical dark comedy about a Sadam Hussein body-double loses his job and moves to Los Angeles in search of a new start. It stars Al No'mani, Scoot McNairy, Rudy Ramos, Tim Kang, Amanda Fuller, and Cameron Bender and has received positive reviews from LA Weekly, Giant Robot Magazine and more, and Epino was also selected by the film magazine The Independent as one of its "10 Filmmakers to Watch" for that film. Along with Stephen Dypiangco he makes up the "National Film Society" which is part of PBS and makes original web content related to films, filmmaking and film festivals that is viewable online.
Bafana is a 2006 British documentary film directed by Hannan Majid and Richard York. The film looks at the life and experiences of Cape Town's street children.
Joe Bullet is a South African action film. It was the first South African film to have an all-black cast, to appeal to black audiences. The film was followed by a 1982 sequel Bullet on the Run.
Hollywoodbets is a sports betting company based in South Africa. It is also known as Hollywood Sportsbook. It currently operates in South Africa, Mozambique, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The company offers betting via its website, mobisite, call centre, and USSD. It has retail branches in South Africa and Mozambique.
Spud 3: Learning to Fly is a 2014 South African comedy film written by John van de Ruit, directed by John Barker and starring Troye Sivan, John Cleese and Caspar Lee. It is the second sequel to the 2010 film Spud following Spud 2: The Madness Continues (2013). It is based on van de Ruit's novel Spud - Learning to Fly.
Dan Jawitz is a South African film and television producer. He is the co-founder of Ice Media, Fireworx Media and Known Associates Entertainment, and he with Mark J Kaplan were both producers on A Lion's Trail which won 27th annual News and documentary Emmy Award.
Black Mothers Love & Resist is an American documentary film released in 2022.
The Umbrella Men is a 2022 South African crime comedy film directed by John Barker. It was released through eVOD in South Africa on 14 June 2022. It screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) that September, where it competed in the Contemporary World Cinema category. It was awarded Best Film at London's Film Africa Fest.