Barker wrote, directed and produced South Africa's first music mockumentary
Blu Cheez. He next directed the music documentary
Kwaito Generals produced by Kutloano Skosana of Black Rage, which focused on the stars who were at the forefront of the
Kwaito movement of the late nineties and early 2000s. During this time he joined
The Pure Monate Show. He directed sketches in season one and directed and co-wrote sketches for the second season. Barker then wrote, produced and directed
Bunny 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. Barker next directed
Spud 3: Learning to Fly with
Troye Sivan, John Cleese and Caspar Lee.
Wonder Boy for President is his second retro scripted film with many of his collaborators from
Bunny Chow; the film is a satirical look at South African politics. Barker later completed
The Umbrella Men, selected to screen at the 2022
Toronto International Film Festival.. The sequel, 'The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Islan' was officially selected to screen at The Toronto International festival in 2023. John recently completed the six-part documentary series 'Class of '96: Rise of a Nation (previously known as Bafana the Boys). The series focuses on his father Clive Barker the coach of the unforgettable 1996 team which won AFCON 96 and qualified for South Africa's first World Cup appearance in 1998. == Work ==