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John Barker | |
|---|---|
 Barker in 2022 | |
| Occupation | filmmaker |
| Father | Clive Barker |
| Relatives | Steve Barker (cousin)[1] |
John Barker is a South African filmmaker based in Johannesburg. He gained prominence through his feature directorial debutBunny Chow (2006), which screened at theToronto International Film Festival (TIFF). His other films includeSpud 3: Learning to Fly (2014),Wonder Boy for President (2015), andThe Umbrella Men (2022).
Barker was born to parentsClive Barker (Bafana Bafana coach) and Yvonne. During the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Barker made a documentarySoccer: South of the Umbilo about his childhood growing up in the southern suburbs of Durban, which produced many soccer players and coaches including his father.
Barker wrote, directed and produced South Africa's first music mockumentaryBlu Cheez.[2] He next directed the music documentaryKwaito Generals produced by Kutloano Skosana of Black Rage, which focused on the stars who were at the forefront of theKwaito movement of the late nineties and early 2000s.[3] During this time he joinedThe Pure Monate Show.[4] He directed sketches in season one and directed and co-wrote sketches for the second season.
Barker then wrote, produced and directedBunny Chow, which employed a retro scripting technique with the actors improvising their dialogue to communicate the outlined script written by Barker, David Kibuuka, Kagiso Lediga, Joey Rasdien and editor Saki Bergh.[5] Barker next directedSpud 3: Learning to Fly withTroye Sivan, John Cleese and Caspar Lee.Wonder Boy for President[6] is his second retro scripted film with many of his collaborators fromBunny Chow; the film is a satirical look at South African politics. Barker later completedThe Umbrella Men, selected to screen at the 2022Toronto International Film Festival.[7]