J. A. Bayona | |
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Bayona in 2012
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Born |
Juan Antonio García Bayona 9 May 1975 Barcelona, Spain |
Occupation | Film director, filmmaker, film producer, screenwriter |
Years active | 1999–present |
Juan Antonio García "J. A." Bayona (born 9 May 1975) is a Spanish film director. In addition to directing television commercials and music videos, Bayona is best known for directing the 2007 horror film The Orphanage, the 2012 drama film The Impossible, and the 2016 fantasy drama A Monster Calls. He is set to direct the fifth installment of the Jurassic Park film series.
Bayona was born in Barcelona, Spain. He has a twin brother, Carlos García Bayona, whom he acknowledged in an interview as standing in for him on at least one occasion (his twin purportedly spent a whole night receiving congratulations for The Orphanage).
He studied at the Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC). At age 19 he met Guillermo del Toro at the Sitges Film Festival presenting Cronos (1993); Bayona there recognized him as a mentor. After their initial conversations, del Toro promised to aid Bayona in the future if he were ever in the position to do so.
After graduating from ESCAC he began his career directing commercials and music videos. At the age of 20, he signed his first contract as audiovisual producer for the Spanish band OBK. After three years working with them, he was awarded the Premios Ondas for the music video "Tú sigue así". Since then, he has become the principal director of the group Camela and was commissioned to illustrate the piece "Cómo repartimos los amigos", in which the duo Ella Baila Sola bid farewell to their audience.
He has also directed music videos for Pastora Soler ("En mi soledad"), Fangoria, Nena ("El Aleph"), Enrique Bunbury and Miren Iza ("Frente a frente"), in which the original singer Jeanette appears at the end of the video. In 2012 he created the music video for "Disconnected" by the British band Keane.