Jan Zajíček (born 4 March 1977) is a Czech film director, screenwriter and artist.
Early life
Jan Zajíček was born on 4 March 1977 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He studied fine art at the Václav Hollar School of Art and film directing at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU). In 1992, he began to create graffiti art, one of the earliest graffiti artists in Czechoslovakia (under the pseudonym "Scarf" or "Skarf"). His experience with graffiti later influenced his strongly visual cinematic style, characterised by its combination of live-action with animation and visual effects. Between 1993 and 2000, he was a member of the Czech hip hop group WWW, which played in Prague venues including Alterna Komotovka, RC Bunkr, ROXY, and Rock Café, and in 1996 supported Sinéad O'Connor. During his studies and after graduation, he was a lecturer of experimental audio-visual production at the Josef Škvorecký Literary Academy. Since 2010, he has been a resident at the MeetFactory Contemporary Art Centre.
Career
Music videos
Zajíček has directed several award winning music videos. His first video, for the song "Známka punku" (The Sign of Punk) by the Czech punk band Visací zámek,Ondřej Bezr: Visací zámek se vrací, tentokrát nabízí Klasiku. Poslouchejte, dívejte se 19 October 2010 was named Best Music Video of the Year by the Czech Music Academy.Honza Vedral: Nejlepší klip roku? Pusinka na prdel akademiků 28 February 2007 Other videos that received attention included "Days Will Never Be the Same",Honza Vedral: Ceny Filteru ovládl raper Vladimir 518, večer věnoval zesnulému Kaplickému 15 January 2009 and "Meleme, meleme kávu" (Grinding the Coffee) by Czech hip hop artists Hugo Toxxx and Vladimir 518,Hugo Toxxx a Vladimir 518 za zrcadlem aneb Alenka tam nebyla sama 7 July 2009 which received Filter magazine's award for Best Music Video of the Year, and was selected by the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen for screening during its MuVi programme in 2010.56. Internationale Kurzfilmtage: Meleme meleme kávu. International Short Film Festival Oberhausen.
Theatre and stage design
From 2004 to 2013, Zajíček worked as a director and animator with several theatre groups, including Theatre XXL, VerTeDance, the National Theatre and the State Opera. In 2012, he created video content for the 60 metre screen at the Czech House for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Along with Tomáš Mašín, he was also the co-director of Czech rock band Lucie's 2014 concert tour.
Film
In 2003, Zajíček produced a short experimental student film, The End of the Individual (), a study of the social structure of society on a model of one's own death. The film is a combination of 3D animation and live-action with a non-linear narrative. The film received several awards and was received positively internationally. In 2010, he created the short video montage Polys and contributed to the Czech pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China.Czech artists aim to put their writing on the wall. 31 May 2010Eliška Dokulilová: Z prvních českých writerů jsou dnes úspěšní umělci, Češi přitom graffiti stále nechápou, říká režisér Jan Zajíček. 7 March 2016
He has also directed several commercials (for General Electric, ING, Nike, Skoda Auto, Kia Motors) and co-edited several documentaries. In 2011, he edited a documentary about the impact of corporate psychopaths upon society, and how the overuse of anti-depressants can result in erratic behavior; entitled I Am Fishead, it featured Peter Coyote, Philip Zimbardo, Václav Havel, Nicholas Christakis, Robert D. Hare and Christopher J. Lane.I Am Fishead: Are Corporate Leaders Psychopaths?, I Am Fishead: Are Corporate Leaders Psychopaths? He was a co-creator (with rapper Vladimir 518) of the Czech TV documentary series Kmeny (Tribes), about urban subcultures,Česká televize - Kmeny: Hackeři Czech Television. 10 June 2015.Honza Vedral: Pankáči ani hackeři nejsou v TV cyklu Kmeny potěrem v akváriu exotů. 20 February 2015 and in 2015, he wrote and directed the show's episode about hackers.Kmeny.tv: Hackeři Průvodce městskými kmeny: Hackeři 7 June 2015 Zdeněk Malinský: Versus: Kmeny (Hackeři) 17 June 2015 Romantika elektráren aneb Hackeři jako věční hračičkové In 2016, he wrote and co-directed (with the female Czech graffiti artist Sany) a documentary about female graffiti entitled Girl Power,Diane Wong: Documentaries on Graffiti Culture you MUST Watch 5 April 2016Braucht man fuer Graffiti etwa einen Penis? Die Streetart-Doku 'Girl Power' beweist das Gegenteil Arte TV. 23 April 2016. the first documentary on this topic.Michael Segalov: Celebrating female graffiti artists around the world 28 November 2016 It starred Martha Cooper, Lady Pink, and others, and was screened at cinemas and festivals all around the globe.
Awards 1999 – Eurovideo 99 Malaga - Honorable Mention (won) / Caramel Is Sugar That Will Never Recover () 2002 – FAMU Festival - Best Sound Award (won) / The End of the Individual () 2003 – A. N. Stankovič Award - Solitaire d’Or (won) / The End of the Individual () 2003 – IFF Karlovy Vary - Best Student Film Collection Award (won) / The End of the Individual (), shared with V. Kadrnka and H. Papírníková 2005 – Sazka Dance Award (won) / Silent Talk (), VerTeDance 2006 – Czech Music Academy Award - Best Music Video of the Year (won) / "Známka punku" (The Sign of Punk) 2007 – Óčko Music TV Award - Best Music Video of the Year (nominated) / "Chvátám" (Rush) 2008 – Filter Mag Award - Best Music Video of the Year (won) / Days Will Never Be the Same 2008 – Óčko Music TV Award - Best Music Video of the Year (nominated) / Days Will Never Be the Same 2008 – Žebřík Award - Best Music Video of the Year (nominated) / Days Will Never Be the Same 2009 – Filter Mag Award - Best Music Video of the Year (won) / "Meleme, meleme kávu" (Grinding the Coffee) 2016 – UNERHÖRT Film Festival Hamburg - Best Film Prize (won) / Girl Power
Work
Direction and screenwriting filmography
2002 – The End of Individual () / short 2003 – Off Off / documentary TV series 2003 – Operation In/Out (Operace In/Out) / documentary 2006 – Break My Heart Please! / short dance film series 2012 – Then And Now () / documentary 2015 – Tribes: Hackers () / documentaryKmeny.tv 14/16: Hackeři 2016 – Girl Power / documentaryGirl Power official website & Girl Power Trailer
Music videos
1998 – WWW / The Caramel Is Sugar That Will Never Recover () 2005 – Padlock (Visací Zámek) / The Sign of Punk () 2006 – Pio Squad / Rush () 2006 – PSH / The Year of PSH () 2008 – Sunshine / Days Will Never Be The Same 2009 – Hugo Toxxx & Vladimir518 / Grinding the Coffee () 2011 – Padlock () / 50
Edit
2002 – Elusive Butterfly () / documentary 2008 – The Anatomy of Gag () / short 2009 – Extraordinary Life Stories - Josef Abrhám () / TV documentary 2011 – I Am Fishead / documentaryI Am Fishead Internet Movie Database 2013 – Hotelier / documentary 2014 – Magical Dramatic Club () / TV documentary series
Theatre performances (cooperation) 2003 – Hypermarket / The National Theatre 2004 – Eldorado / The National Theatre 2004 – The Queen of Spades () / The State Opera 2004 – Silent Talk () / VerTeDance 2006 – Break My Heart Please! / Theatre XXL 2012 – Czech House / 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom 2013 – War with the Newts () / The State Opera 2013 – Krabat – The Sorcerer's Apprentice () / The National Theatre 2014 – The Lucie 2014 Megatour
Festivals and exhibitions 2002 – Febiofest, Prague, the Czech Republic (The End of Individual / ) 2003 – Anthology Film Archive, New York City, USA (The End of Individual / ) 2003 – Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Czech Republic (The End of Individual / ) 2003 – Dahlonega International Film Festival, Georgia, USA (The End of Individual / ) 2008 – Chelsea Art Museum / Sonicself, New York City, USA (The End of Individual / ) 2008 – Bolzano ShortFilm Festival, Italy (Rush / ) 2008 – Brooklyn Film Festival, New York City, USA (Days Will Never Be the Same)Brooklyn Film Festival 2008: Days Will Never Be the Same 2008 – PechaKucha Night, Prague, the Czech RepublicPechaKucha Night Prague 16 April 2008 2010 – 56th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany (Grinding the Coffee / ) 2010 – DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, the Czech Republic (Polys)Metropolis - Cryptic 257, Masker, Pasta, Point, Skarf, Tron 2010 – Expo 2010, Shanghai, China (Polys) 2015 – AFO International Festival of Science Documentary Films, Olomouc, the Czech Republic (Tribes: Hackers / )AFO Academia Film Olomouc: Kmeny: Tribes: Hackers Girl Power (2016): Red Gallery London, United Kingdom,Girl Power at Red Gallery London. 8 May 2016. Urban Art Fair Paris, France, Cinema L'Ecran Saint-Denis, France, American Cosmograph Toulouse, France, Expo Charleroi Tattoo’moi 1 Graffiti, Belgium, Urban Spree Berlin, Germany, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation Wiesbaden, Germany, Milla Club Munchen, Germany, IFZ Leipzig, Germany, Film Festival Essen, Germany, Platzprojekt Hannover, Germany, Culture centrum Kiel, Germany, UNERHÖRT Film Festival Hamburg, Germany,Mali Blues & Girl Power gewinnen den Preis Frameout Film Festival Vienna, Austria, Kuns Festival Oslo, Norway, Helsinki International Film Festival, Finland, Stencibility Festival Tartu, Estonia, International Film Festival 86 Slavutych, Ukraine,International Film Festival 86 Slavutych: Girl Power Artmossphere Moscow, Russia, Artmossphere Saint Petersburg, Russia, Cultural Institution Krajn, Slovenia, Blart festival, Bosna and Hercegovina, Colombian Urban Art Film Festival Bogota, Colombia, De Cine MÁS Managua, Nicaragua, Redfern Community Centre Sydney, Australia & StayFly Sydney, Australia.
Literature Martina Overstreet: In Graffiti We Trust. Praha: Mladá fronta 2006, 230 pages
References
External links
Czech-Slovak Film Database Jan Zajicek’s videos on Vimeo