Biography

Sue Johnson is filmmaker and cinematographer who works primarily in long-form narrative and documentary film. A member of both I.A.T.S.E. 667 and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, Johnson has been working at the intersection of industrial and independent production for over twenty years. Production credits include shows for Netflix, Disney, StarZ, and CBS, while her documentary and feature work includes credits with NFB, CBC, White Pine Pictures and Al Jazeera. She approaches frames with an eye to the emotive, tactile and thematic, and is always exploring how new technologies can creatively aid the craft of cinematography.

Johnson’s directing practice combines documentary subjects with experimental modes of presentation, often exploring topics pertaining to artistic choice and queerness. She is currently releasing a feature-length documentary about Canadian experimental animator and activist James MacSwain, and in 2019, thirteen of her Super 8mm short films appeared at 8FEST. Currently she is researching the authorship and preservation of several film archives that show early depictions of drag and gender play, and working on a series of short films about queer beach culture.

Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Fine Arts from Mount Allison University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Media from Toronto Metropolitan University. She has taught previously at Toronto Metropolitan University, been a guest lecturer at both NSCAD and Mount Allison University, as well as hosted workshops for organizations such as Charles Street Video, Inside Out Film Festival, Centre for Art Tapes, Struts Gallery, and Planet in Focus.