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Matt Johnson (director)

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Matt Johnson
Johnson in 2022
Born (1985-10-05) October 5, 1985 (age 39)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
EducationYork University
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, actor
Years active2007–present
Known forThe Dirties
Operation Avalanche
Nirvanna the Band the Show
BlackBerry

Matt Johnson (born October 5, 1985) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He first attracted accolades for his low-budget independent feature films, including The Dirties (2013), which won Best Narrative Feature at the Slamdance Film Festival, and Operation Avalanche (2016), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[1][2]

Johnson achieved widespread critical and commercial acclaim for his third feature film, BlackBerry (2023), which documented the rise and fall of the BlackBerry phone. The film premiered in competition at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival,[3] and went on to win several accolades including the $50,000 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association.[4]

Career

2007–2009: Early work

Johnson is known for co-creating, writing, directing and starring in the low-budget web series Nirvanna the Band the Show from 2007 to 2009.[5]

2013–2014: The Dirties

Main article: The Dirties

Johnson achieved widespread critical acclaim in Canada with his first feature film The Dirties,[6] which won Best Narrative Feature at the Slamdance Film Festival.[7] He was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Editing at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards in 2014 for The Dirties.[8]

The film had a production budget of $10,000. After finishing production, an additional $45,000 was needed to secure licensing rights for the music used in the film. All the film's financing came "out of pocket."[9]

There was almost no scripted dialogue and several scenes were shot without some of the participants' awareness.[9][10][11]

2016: Operation Avalanche

Main article: Operation Avalanche (film)

Operation Avalanche premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Johnson had received an offer to premiere the film at the Toronto International Film Festival but declined, reasoning that the film would be lost in the large number of films shown there.[12] Lionsgate released it in the US on September 16, 2016.[13] He was nominated for Best Director at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017 for his work on Operation Avalanche.[14]

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.[15][16] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Matt Johnson and Owen Williams' wild, borderline-illegal stunt delivers big time on its crazy premise."[17] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it a "likeable if not always convincing fantasy that gets much mileage from its period feel".[18] Anthony Kaufman of Screen Daily wrote that the film "comes across more as a rambling lark than a tightly conceived film".[19]

2016–2018: Nirvanna the Band the Show

Main article: Nirvanna the Band the Show

Nirvanna the Band the Show was re-mastered and re-launched at the Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently as a television series on Viceland in fall 2016.[20][21] The show stars Johnson and Jay McCarrol as "Nirvanna the Band," two hapless lifelong best friends and roommates, who engage in a series of complex publicity stunts around their home city of Toronto in the hopes of landing a gig at The Rivoli, despite the fact that they have never actually written or recorded a single song, nor taken any other steps to get their band ready.[22]

2023: BlackBerry

Main article: BlackBerry (film)

In 2022, Johnson directed and co-wrote, with Matthew Miller, the film BlackBerry, about the rise and fall of Canadian tech company Research in Motion.[23] The film stars Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie, and Jay Baruchel as Mike Lazaridis.[24] BlackBerry premiered in competition at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2023,[3] and attracted widespread critical acclaim.[25]

The film won several accolades, including the $50,000 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association.[4]

The film broke the record for the most nominations for a film at the Canadian Screen Awards, with 17 nominations at the 2024 ceremony.[26]

Other work

In addition to his own productions, he has had acting roles in feature films such as Diamond Tongues, and the Kazik Radwanski projects How Heavy This Hammer, Anne at 13,000 Ft. and Matt and Mara.

Johnson made an animated spiritual successor to Nirvanna the Band the Show called Matt & Bird Break Loose in 2021.[27]

Johnson and Miller founded their own production house, Zapruder Films, in 2013. Three years later, in 2016, the company released its first project, Operation Avalanche. The company is still active today.[28][29][30]

Johnson and Miller won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Adapted Screenplay,[31] and Johnson won the award for Best Director,[32] at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards in 2024 for BlackBerry.

Filmography

Film

As writer/director

Year Title Director Writer Producer Actor Notes
2013 The Dirties Yes Yes Yes Yes Also editor, co-written with Evan Morgan
2016 Operation Avalanche Yes Yes Yes Yes Co-written with Josh Boles
2023 BlackBerry Yes Yes No Yes Co-written with Matthew Miller

As actor

Year Title Role Notes
2013 The Dirties Matt
2015 Diamond Tongues John Matheson
2015 How Heavy This Hammer Hardware Store Employee
2016 Operation Avalanche Himself Johnson portrays a fictionalized version of himself
2019 Anne at 13,000 Ft. Matt Different role to The Dirties
2023 BlackBerry Doug Fregin
2024 Matt and Mara Matt Different role to The Dirties and Anne at 13,000 Ft.
The Heirloom Belligerent veterinarian

Television

As director

Years Title Director Creator Actor Notes
2017-2018 Nirvanna the Band the Show Yes Yes Yes Directed all 16 episodes

As actor

Years Title Role
2017-2018 Nirvanna the Band the Show Matt

References

  1. ^ "Why Matt Johnson is taking Operation Avalanche to Sundance instead of TIFF". Now. January 21, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "How Operation Avalanche director Matt Johnson boldly infiltrated NASA". The Globe and Mail. December 31, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "BlackBerry". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "BlackBerry, Swan Song Win Rogers Best Canadian Film and Best Canadian Documentary". Toronto Film Critics Association. 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  5. ^ "Toronto through the eyes of Nirvanna The Band The Show's Jay McCarrol and Matt Johnson". blogTO. April 6, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  6. ^ "The Dirties: A bravura debut for an up-and-coming Canadian filmmaker". The Globe and Mail. October 4, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  7. ^ Godfrey, Alex (June 2, 2014). "The Dirties director Matt Johnson on fame and high-school shootings". The Guardian. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Hanna, Beth (13 January 2014). "Canadian Screen Award Nominations Include Villeneuve's 'Enemy,' Dolan's 'Tom at the Farm' and More | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  9. ^ a b "Interview with Matt Johnson, Director of 'The Dirties'". Indiewire. September 5, 2013.
  10. ^ "BLOOD IN THE HALLWAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRTIES DIRECTOR MATT JOHNSON AND PRODUCER EVAN MORGAN". Toronto Film Scene. October 3, 2012.
  11. ^ "MATTHEW JOHNSON Director of THE DIRTIES: Exclusive Sarasota Film Festival Interview". March 30, 2013.
  12. ^ "How Operation Avalanche director Matt Johnson boldly infiltrated NASA". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  13. ^ Murthi, Vikram (2016-07-21). "'Operation Avalanche' Trailer: Alt-History Doc Goes Behind-The-Scenes of Faking the Moon Landing". IndieWire. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  14. ^ "Matt Johnson | Achievement in Direction | Canadian Screen Awards". Academy.ca. 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  15. ^ "Operation Avalanche (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
  16. ^ "Operation Avalanche". Metacritic. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
  17. ^ Debruge, Peter (2016-01-29). "Sundance Film Review: 'Operation Avalanche'". Variety. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  18. ^ DeFore, John (2016-01-22). "'Operation Avalanche': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  19. ^ Kaufman, Anthony (2016-01-23). "'Operation Avalanche': Sundance Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
  20. ^ "Nirvanna the Band the Show is back – but this time it's bigger and on proper TV". Now. June 6, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  21. ^ "TIFF 2016 announces its Canadian lineup, including films from Xavier Dolan, Deepa Mehta, Bruce McDonald". National Post. August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  22. ^ "Nirvanna the Band the Show is back – but this time it's bigger and on proper TV". Now Magazine. June 6, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  23. ^ Manori Ravindran, "BlackBerry’: Story of Doomed Smartphone Company Casts Jay Baruchel & Glenn Howerton, XYZ Films Boards Sales for TIFF". Variety, August 23, 2022.
  24. ^ Barry Hertz, "BlackBerry: Canadian film starring Jay Baruchel to chronicle rise and fall of Research In Motion". The Globe and Mail, August 23, 2022.
  25. ^ "BlackBerry". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  26. ^ "Matt Johnson's BlackBerry breaks Canadian Screen Awards record with 17 nominations". The Globe and Mail. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  27. ^ Hertz, Barry (2021-10-14). "Canadian TV's most dangerous minds try something new: a cartoon on Amazon Kids+". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  28. ^ "Why Matt Johnson is taking Operation Avalanche to Sundance instead of TIFF". Now. January 21, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  29. ^ "How Operation Avalanche director Matt Johnson boldly infiltrated NASA". The Globe and Mail. December 31, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  30. ^ "How Operation Avalanche director Matt Johnson boldly infiltrated NASA". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  31. ^ Connie Thiessen, "Canadian Screen Awards winners: Cinematic Arts". Broadcast Dialogue, May 30, 2024.
  32. ^ Etan Vlessing, "‘BlackBerry,’ ‘Little Bird’ Dominate Canadian Screen Awards". The Hollywood Reporter, May 31, 2024.
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