Janos Kis is a Hungarian Avant-garde Filmmaker, Documentary photographer has lived in France, USA, Japan, Israel and Cambodia. He studied Sociology at Janus Pannonius University of Pecs & Cinematography at School of Hungarian Society of Cinematographers "HSC Film Crew School" as well as Tibetan Buddhism at ELTE Institutes of East Asia Studies (preparatory school). He captured political and social topics, includes Holocaust remembrance, various protests, trial of a WWII. war crime suspect, survival of Toul Sleng S-21 Khmer Rouge prison, migrant workers, asylum-seekers, refugees, child labor, landmine victims, children with congenital disorders, etc...
Regardless of the subject matter, Janos is interested in depicting obvious and essential details of life that are often overshadowed by larger, more newsworthy circumstances. He also has extensive experience as freelance documentary line/field producer while directing his experimental contemplative films.
Janos is an award winning avant-garde filmmaker devoted to slow cinema and known about his "Contemplative Short Films". He's using no camera movements, extreme long takes, most times if possible original sounds of the environment, natural low light to capture the zen of life and the unexpected occasions of everyday life. He's been directing more than 60 contemplative shorts.
His films just like the ॐ (AUM or OM) represents the whole Universe, union of the mind, body, and the spirit.
Sunday of Zen (an homage for Abbas Kiarostami) Official Selection Finalist Cefalu film festival 2018 Italy,
Official Selection of 9th International Video Poetry Festival 2021, Athens, Greece.
Fear Official Selection Finalist at 30. Girona Film Festival 2018, Cataluniya, Spain. The film was shot on original locations in Auschwitz and Birkenau.
The Bay won Honorable Mention Award Underground Film Forum (LAUFF) Los Angeles 2019 for vision and the film's unique contribution to cinema.
The Bay Honorable Mention Award Experimental Forum Los Angeles 2019
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Official Selection Experimental Forum Los Angeles 2020
Benoit Rouilly critic and expert on Contemporary Contemplative Cinema (CCC) wrote a extended review on "The unbearable lightness of being" one of Janos' film shot in Cambodia. The scene is reminiscent him to the opening of Bela Tarr's and Agnes Hranitzky's world famous Satantango and on some point to Andy Warhol, James Benning and Nikolaus Geyrhalter's work. Click here to read the article
Federico an Italian critic with the title "Tracce dell’Irrapresentabile: due corti di Janos Kis" in Italian, analyzing both Holocaust short films Janos filmed in Budapest and Auschwitz and mentioning the Oscar Winning Son of Shaul, Laszlo Nemes masterpiece and highlighted, in spite of the two Hungarian director using different filmmaking language. both films are paying respect and tribute to the Shoah.
Janos also made films as an homage to Chantal Akerman, Bela Tarr and Abbas Kiarostami.
As an international field and line producer Janos provides pre-production and fixer services such as location scout, creative shooting ideas, data collections and researches, logistics, accommodations, interpreting services and all the necessary permits for foreign film crews and journalists in "Indochina" with a deep knowledge of South East Asia (especially Cambodia).
Janos was the line producer and fixer, pre-production manager of multi award winning Hungarian feature documentary "Another Planet" shot on several locations in Cambodia about child labor.
As a line producer he was hired by the Vertigo Pictures (Singapore) to work with award winning directors on "The Bicycle Diaries" travel documentary series Episode 6. Nikki Muller Singapore's one of the most famous TV host was riding a bicycle on various locations from the sea, across the capital to the mountain hill tribes and introduced Cambodia to the Channel News Asia's audience.
Janos contributed as, field/line producer and production manager with Silver Screen International on Singapore's most popular Indian (Tamil) language documentary travel show "Rayil Sneham" Cambodian episode broadcast by Mediacorp/ Vasantham. The film captured the everyday lives of Cambodian people, Angkor Archaeological Park, historical sites, culture, tradition, hill tribes, pepper plantations, Sea salt cultivation, local markets, Killing Fields, Tuol Sleng (S21) Genocide Museum, as well as culinary specialties, the old railway stations sometimes off the beating track.
Janos was the fixer for Channel News Asia International desk (Singapore) during the Garment industry crisis in Cambodia and was chosen as line producer for the popular Belgian Reality TV Show series "Jobs without frontiers" Cambodian episode. In this episode four Belgian tattoo artists flew to Cambodia to discover and mastering the secret of ancient Yantra Tattoo Art from local masters.
Janos also worked as Field/Line Producer for the television documentary series about destruction and protection of cultural heritages shooting for History Channel Germany in Cambodia. The film contains interviews of one of the last interrogated survivor of Tuol Sleng (S21) prison, Cambodia most famous classical dancer, choreographer as well as the archaeological restoration works of Angkor Wat.
Janos conducted researches, identified sources on human rights cases (eviction, child labor, pedophilia, drug trade, mental illness, etc) for British, Polish, German, Swiss, Singaporean, Hungarian, Belgian, etc... clients.
In 2012 Nikon Pro Magazine published an interview with Janos and dedicated him “The guy behind the scenes who make it all possible" and called him one of the top fixer of the industry.
He's article about Cambodia's film industry has been published on The Location Guide.
Janos is member of the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia.
His photo and video works appeared in Phnom Penh Post, Eye See Media, Global Voices, CrowdVoice, Nikon Pro Magazine, Amerikai Nepszava, Handicap International, Open Democracy, Peace Dialogue, Moments, Chabad Cambodia, The Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism, Open Society Archives (OSA), etc...
Janos spent a year working on a Holocaust documentary about the real story of the last survivals of Haganah Ship Exodus 1947. Unfortunately during the long pre-production research tragically 3 of the survivals passed away and the production was canceled.
As the a photo- and videojournalist, Janos joined the crowds of Syrian, Iranian, Afghan, Bangladeshi migrants and refugees and traveled together by night bus from Budapest Keleti Transit Zone to the Austrian border then continued photographing and filming their odyssey until Nickelsdorf, Austria. The film contains footage and short interviews with refugee families, governor of Burgerland, Austria and about the previous events inside Keleti Transit Zone and the train station.
Exhibition: a charity fundraising held at Wat Ketseraram for Srey Pov "The Little Nun" who suffered from Down syndrome. The goal was to bring the project to a unique venue and make it a humanitarian effort to benefit the pagoda and help its disabled resident. Sadly a few years later Srey Pov passed away. Janos photographed landmine victims and children with congenital disorders at Handicap International Cambodia to raise awareness among the people. The photos exhibited at the visitor center of Handicap International Siem Reap Branch.
Janos is the author of a novel "Dick Monday's Tokyo Adventures".
