Annabel Jankel facts for kids

Annabel Jankel (born 1 June 1955), also known as AJ Jankel, is a British film and TV director. She first became well-known for directing music videos. She also helped create the famous computer character Max Headroom. Annabel Jankel also co-directed the movie Super Mario Bros. She is the sister of musician Chaz Jankel. He is known for being in the band Ian Dury & The Blockheads.

Early Career in Film and TV

Annabel Jankel started her career in the late 1970s. She co-founded a film company called Cucumber Studios with her partner, Rocky Morton.

Jankel and Morton were experts at making music videos, TV commercials, and TV show openings. They combined live action, animation, and early computer graphics. During this time, they directed music videos for many artists. These included Elvis Costello ("Accidents Will Happen") and Talking Heads ("Blind").

In 1985, Jankel and Morton won an Emmy Award. This was for the opening sequence of the TV show Friday Night Videos. That same year, their TV commercial for the drink Quatro won an award.

Their 1978 music video for Elvis Costello's "Accidents Will Happen" was special. In 2003, it was chosen for a display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Their music videos are also kept in the permanent collections of this museum. They are also at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

In 1984, Jankel and Morton wrote a book together. It was called Creative Computer Graphics. The book talked about the history of computer graphics and what its future might be.

Becoming Well-Known

Annabel Jankel helped create Max Headroom. This was a popular computer-generated character. Max Headroom became very important in science fiction TV. He also influenced pop culture in the 1980s.

Jankel and Morton first created and directed The Max Talking Headroom Show. This show had funny parts, interviews by Max Headroom, and music videos. This led to a TV movie called Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future. The movie then inspired the Max Headroom TV series in the US.

After Max Headroom's success, Jankel and Morton moved to Los Angeles. They directed D.O.A, a remake of an older film. This movie starred Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid. Critics liked the film, with one calling it a "witty and literate thriller."

Next, Jankel and Morton directed the movie Super Mario Bros.. This film was based on the popular video game. It starred Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper. The movie showed the Mushroom Kingdom as a dark, ruined place. This was very different from the colorful game world. Many critics did not like the film.

Annabel Jankel's Solo Work

Annabel Jankel later became a director of TV commercials on her own. She worked for big companies like Coca-Cola and AOL. She won a Gold Award for "Best TV Commercial Campaign."

In 2006, Jankel directed a TV series called Live from Abbey Road. This show was seen in the UK and US. She worked with over 72 major music artists. These included Paul Simon and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Jankel directed the 2009 film Skellig. This movie was based on a novel by David Almond. It was a special TV production and later shown in theaters. The film starred Tim Roth.

In 2011, Jankel directed a 3D show called "Live on Air." It showed the band Elbow rehearsing and performing. In 2018, Jankel directed the film Tell It to the Bees.

See also

• List of female film and television directors