EUGENIC MINDS (2013)

Miroslav Janek

Born January 1954, Náchod. In 1969–1979, Janek made nearly 40 short films in Czechoslovakia.

In 1980, he moved to the USA, where he worked as an editor and cameraman and shot a dozen independent films (Visitor, Heroes, Little City in Space, Now I Lay Me). He worked as an editor on Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi trilogy (the feature-length documentary films Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Naqoyqatsi) and on Reggio's short film Anima Mundi.

Since 1993, Janek has been making hour-long documentaries for Czech Television, which have won numerous awards: Seven Ten Nečtiny, Heaven on Earth, The Unseen, I Am Hamsa, The Musicians, Man and his Master, Battle for Life, Scarlet Sails, and Vierka.

In his documentaries, Janek is more of a co-actor alongside his protagonists than a director. Sometimes his films lack a clear storyline and they are more like strips or collages of events. Janek has been a permanent member of the FAMU teaching staff since 1998.

Janek's most successful recent films include Citizen Havel, Olga, and The Gospel According to Brabenec.