The Road Less Run

Paul Dean is a writer, director, cinematographer, producer and filmmaker from England. He has over 15 years of experience in filmmaking, and over seven years in the Czech film industry - working on feature films, short films, commercials, in-house videos, music videos and student film projects. He also spent four years as a Senior Marketing Manager for Bolton Council in England, and ran his own successful music magazine for four years. He has extensive contacts within the Czech film industry and is able to produce videos ranging from small, highly efficient projects to major promotional campaigns.

Writing/Directing:
Paul Dean has been writing and directing short films, commercials, in-house videos and music videos for 15 years. Selected for a script writing course with North West Vision (UK Film Council), ‘First Take: Distinct Voices, Diverse Lives’, Paul set about writing and directing his first 15 minute short “The Lovers” - eventually earning praise for the quality and scope of the zero-budget film. He was then shortlisted for the ‘NW Vision Digishorts’ scheme where he developed his craft under mentor Paul Fraser, writer on the Shane Meadow’s film, “Dead Man’s Shoes”. He has since gone on to write and direct on many projects.

After more than a decade in the film industry, Paul has worked in just about every department on set - on both sides of the camera - and he continues to work as a freelance director, cinematographer and editor. He has recently finished editing his first feature length documentary, "The Road Less Run", and has just completed two short films, "Today's the Day" and "A Box Full of Baggage."

Kristyna Balaban is documentary filmmaker and interdisciplinary media artist originating from Toronto, Canada. She graduated from Social Anthropology at the University of Toronto and has a Masters of Fine Arts in Documentary Media from Ryerson University. In Toronto she worked on the National Film Board of Canada’s Emmy- winning HIGHRISE project, and produced and shot videos for independent media. In 2013 she moved to Prague where she established herself as a freelancer working on both documentaries and fiction films. She enjoys teaching workshops on topics like social issue documentary film-making and has taught in places such as Kathmandu, Beijing, and Toronto. Kristyna was the coordinator for Ex Oriente Film educational program and East Doc Forum from 2015- 2017, and the head of the program in 2018/2019.