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Janek Ambros

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Janek Ambros
Born (1988-04-19) April 19, 1988 (age 37)
Morristown, New Jersey, United States
EducationMaster of Fine Arts
Alma materNew York Film Academy
Siena College
The Albany Academy
Occupation(s)Director, screenwriter, producer
Years active2011–present
Notable workMondo Hollywoodland
Ukrainians in Exile
Imminent Threat
WebsiteOfficial website

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.

Biography

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Early life and education

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Ambros 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.[2]

Career

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After graduating from Siena College, Ambros founded his film production company, Assembly Line Entertainment in 2011, in Los Angeles, California.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5]

In 2017, Ambros produced and directed a French short film, Le Quinze Mai à Paris (May 15th in Paris).[6] The film received positive response and was nominated for awards at several film festivals around the world.[7] Later that year, he produced Valley of Bones featuring Autumn Reeser and Rhys Coiro.[8]

In 2019, Ambros collaborated with James Cromwell for the second time and directed Mondo Hollywoodland, a comedy/sci fi film.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

In October 2022, Ambros directed Ukrainians in Exile, a war documentary film shot in the Polish city of Przemysl.[12] 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.[13][14] Ukrainians in Exile was awarded with the Best Documentary Award at the 76th Salerno Film Festival in December 2022.[15]

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.[16]

He produced the film In the Summers,[17] which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024 [18] and for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in 2025.

Ambros collaborated with his frequent creative partner James Cromwell for Nixon's Nixon, an adaptation of Russell Lees' play. The film was scheduled for release in 2024.[1]

Filmography

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Filmography
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[19]
2022 La Leyenda de Tayos Producer
2022 Monica Executive producer
2022 Magoado Executive producer[20]
2022 Exposure 36 Executive producer[21]
2022 Ukrainians in Exile Director, producer
2024 In the Summers producer[22]
2024 Nixon's Nixon Director, producer

References

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  1. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (January 18, 2022). "'Nixon's Nixon': James Cromwell To Produce Film Adaptation Of Russell Lees Play From Director Janek Ambros". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Janek Ambros Producer - Writer - Director". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Yuma, Jennifer (October 6, 2021). "'Frances Perkins' Biopic in Works: True Story of FDR's Secretary of Labor Who Was Architect For New Deal". variety.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  4. ^ NYFA (January 29, 2015). "Producing Grad's 'Ten Thousand Saints' Premieres at Sundance". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Thr Staff (October 23, 2015). "'Imminent Threat': Film Review - Has the "war on terror" turned us into the enemy?". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Kilday, Gregg (July 28, 2017). "Assembly Line Entertainment Names Jing Xue COO". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Stevens, Serita (June 8, 2017). "May 15th In Paris Movie Review – What Have We Learned?". splashmags.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  8. ^ NYFA (July 27, 2017). "NYFA Alum Janek Ambros' Film Produced by Barbara De Fina". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Mondo Hollywoodland: Groovy experimental film isn't for everyone". times-herald.com. September 10, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 9, 2021). "James Cromwell Production 'Mondo Hollywoodland' Sets Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  11. ^ NYFA (December 16, 2022). "Janek Ambros, MFA Producing Alum, Produces Festival Hits 'Ukrainians in Exile' and 'Monica'". www.nyfa.edu. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  12. ^ Ng, Alan (October 27, 2022). "Ukrainians In Exile". filmthreat.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  13. ^ Ritman, Alex (October 6, 2022). "Oscar-Winning Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski to Exec Produce Ukrainian Refugee Crisis Doc (Exclusive)". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Salas, Becka (September 26, 2022). "¡Todo lo que debes saber sobre el FICM 2022!". fueradefoco.com.mx. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "Grande successo per la 76esima edizione del Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Salerno". www.napolivillage.com. December 6, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  16. ^ Fuente, Anna Marie de la (April 27, 2023). "'Ukrainians in Exile''s Janek Ambros to Receive Auteur Filmmaker Award at Spain's 6th Roots of Europe Fest (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  17. ^ Aguilar, Carlos (January 24, 2024). "'In the Summers' Review: Moving Debut Spans the Foundational Years of a Parent-Child Relationship". Variety. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  18. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (January 26, 2024). "'In the Summers,' a Father-Daughters Tale, Wins the Top Prize at Sundance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  19. ^ Ng, Alan (April 24, 2020). "Money, Fascism and Some Sort of Acid". filmthreat.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  20. ^ Grobar, Matt (July 15, 2022). "'Katie's Mom', 'Alabama Girl' Castings; Freestyle, Indican, Buffalo 8, 1091 Acquisitions; 'Orchestrator of Storms' Clip – Film Briefs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  21. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 11, 2022). "Freestyle Claims Doc 'Batman And Me'; Gravitas, Cinedigm, Searchlight Acquisitions; 'The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune' Clip; More – Film Briefs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  22. ^ Aguilar, Carlos (January 24, 2024). "'In the Summers' Review: Moving Debut Spans the Foundational Years of a Parent-Child Relationship". Variety. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
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