Janek Ambros (born April 19, 1988) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, California. He is also the founder of Assembly Line Entertainment, an American film production company.[1] Ambros is widely known for directing award winning documentary films like Imminent Threat, Mondo Hollywoodland and Ukrainians in Exile.[2]
Janek Ambros | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 19, 1988 Morristown, New Jersey, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Master of Fine Arts |
| Alma mater | New York Film Academy Siena College The Albany Academy |
| Occupation(s) | Director, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Notable work | Mondo Hollywoodland Ukrainians in Exile Imminent Threat |
| Website | Official website |
Biography
editEarly life and education
editAmbros was born in 1988, in Morristown, New Jersey.[citation needed] He attended The Albany Academy where he completed his early education in 2006. He received his bachelor's degree in Economics from Siena College in 2010. Later, he attended New York Film Academy where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in 2012.[3]
Career
editAfter graduating from Siena College, Ambros founded his film production company, Assembly Line Entertainment in 2011, in Los Angeles, California.[4] He co-produced Asa Butterfield and Ethan Hawke starrer drama film Ten Thousand Saints in 2015. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2015.[5]
In September 2015, Ambros collaborated with James Cromwell for his directorial debut, Imminent Threat. He also wrote and produced the film. Imminent Threat is a documentary film about the War on Terror's impact on civil liberties in the United States.[6]
In 2017, Ambros produced and directed a French short film, Le Quinze Mai à Paris (May 15th in Paris).[7] The film received positive response and was nominated for awards at several film festivals around the world.[8] Later that year, he produced Valley of Bones featuring Autumn Reeser and Rhys Coiro.[9]
In 2019, Ambros collaborated with James Cromwell for the second time and directed Mondo Hollywoodland, a comedy/sci fi film.[10] The film was released theatrically and on VOD in 2021. The film won the Jury Prize for Creative Vision at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival.[11] Later in 2019, Ambros co-produced Human Capital, an American-Italian drama film directed by Marc Meyers and starring Liev Schreiber. In 2022, Ambros executive produced Monica. The film was premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Lion.[12]
In October 2022, Ambros directed Ukrainians in Exile, a war documentary film shot in the Polish city of Przemysl.[13] The film was executive produced by two time Academy Award winner Janusz Kaminski. The film premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival on 23 October 2022.[14][15] Ukrainians in Exile was awarded with the Best Documentary Award at the 76th Salerno Film Festival in December 2022.[16]
In 2023, Ambros was awarded the Filmmaker Auteur Award at the Roots of Europe film festival for his various films. Previous receipts include Krzysztof Zanussi, Inma Shara and painter-sculptor Antonio López.[17]
He produced the film In the Summers[18] which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024.[19]
Ambros collaborated with his frequent creative partner James Cromwell for Nixon's Nixon, an adaptation of Russell Lees' play. The film is scheduled to be released in 2024.[1]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ten Thousand Saints | Co-producer |
| 2015 | Imminent Threat | Director, writer, producer |
| 2017 | Le Quinze Mai à Paris (May 15th in Paris) | Director, producer |
| 2017 | Valley of Bones | Producer |
| 2019 | Human Capital | Co-producer |
| 2019 | Mondo Hollywoodland | Director, writer, producer |
| 2020 | Money, Fascism and Some Sort of Acid | Director, writer, producer[20] |
| 2022 | La Leyenda de Tayos | Producer |
| 2022 | Monica | Executive producer |
| 2022 | Magoado | Executive producer[21] |
| 2022 | Exposure 36 | Executive producer[22] |
| 2022 | Ukrainians in Exile | Director, producer |
| 2024 | In the Summers | producer[23] |
| 2024 | Nixon's Nixon | Director, producer |
References
edit- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (18 January 2022). "'Nixon's Nixon': James Cromwell To Produce Film Adaptation Of Russell Lees Play From Director Janek Ambros". deadline.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Verma, Shikhar (15 November 2022). "Ukrainians in Exile (2022) Review: A Moving Depiction of the Urgency of the Refugee Crisis in a War-ravaged Country". www.highonfilms.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Janek Ambros Producer - Writer - Director". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Yuma, Jennifer (6 October 2021). "'Frances Perkins' Biopic in Works: True Story of FDR's Secretary of Labor Who Was Architect For New Deal". variety.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ NYFA (29 January 2015). "Producing Grad's 'Ten Thousand Saints' Premieres at Sundance". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Thr Staff (23 October 2015). "'Imminent Threat': Film Review - Has the "war on terror" turned us into the enemy?". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (28 July 2017). "Assembly Line Entertainment Names Jing Xue COO". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Stevens, Serita (8 June 2017). "May 15th In Paris Movie Review – What Have We Learned?". splashmags.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ NYFA (27 July 2017). "NYFA Alum Janek Ambros' Film Produced by Barbara De Fina". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Mondo Hollywoodland: Groovy experimental film isn't for everyone". times-herald.com. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (9 July 2021). "James Cromwell Production 'Mondo Hollywoodland' Sets Release". deadline.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ NYFA (16 December 2022). "Janek Ambros, MFA Producing Alum, Produces Festival Hits 'Ukrainians in Exile' and 'Monica'". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Ng, Alan (27 October 2022). "Ukrainians In Exile". filmthreat.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (6 October 2022). "Oscar-Winning Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski to Exec Produce Ukrainian Refugee Crisis Doc (Exclusive)". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Salas, Becka (26 September 2022). "¡Todo lo que debes saber sobre el FICM 2022!". fueradefoco.com.mx. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Grande successo per la 76esima edizione del Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Salerno". www.napolivillage.com. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Fuente, Anna Marie de la (2023-04-27). "'Ukrainians in Exiles Janek Ambros to Receive Auteur Filmmaker Award at Spain's 6th Roots of Europe Fest (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (2024-01-24). "'In the Summers' Review: Moving Debut Spans the Foundational Years of a Parent-Child Relationship". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Buchanan, Kyle (2024-01-26). "'In the Summers,' a Father-Daughters Tale, Wins the Top Prize at Sundance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Ng, Alan (24 April 2020). "Money, Fascism and Some Sort of Acid". filmthreat.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (15 July 2022). "'Katie's Mom', 'Alabama Girl' Castings; Freestyle, Indican, Buffalo 8, 1091 Acquisitions; 'Orchestrator of Storms' Clip – Film Briefs". deadline.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (11 February 2022). "Freestyle Claims Doc 'Batman And Me'; Gravitas, Cinedigm, Searchlight Acquisitions; 'The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune' Clip; More – Film Briefs". deadline.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (2024-01-24). "'In the Summers' Review: Moving Debut Spans the Foundational Years of a Parent-Child Relationship". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-31.