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bio:

Sue Johnson is a Toronto-based cinematographer who works across documentary, narrative and experimental film. Her work has been shown on major platforms and networks such as Netflix, Peacock, StarZ, NBC, CBC and Al Jazeera, and has also screened at international festivals including Toronto International Film Festival, HotDocs, Image+Nation, and Inside Out Film Festival. A member of both I.A.T.S.E. 667 and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, Johnson composes frames with an eye to the emotive, tactile and thematic. She shares her enthusiasm and knowledge for image-making in the Department of Film and Media Arts at York University, where she is an Assistant Professor.

about me:

I began making films while earning my Bachelor of Arts degree (English Literature and Fine Arts) at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. After earning my degree, I worked in production for several prominent artist-run-centres on the east coast including Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts and the Centre for Art Tapes in Halifax. During this time I immersed myself into the world of artist-driven independent film and video, an aesthetic and working methodology which still informs much of my practice. 

In the mid 2000’s, I decided to pursue Cinematography as my career specialization. After completing my MFA at Toronto Metropolitan University in Documentary Media, I became a member of I.A.T.S.E. 667, working as both a camera assistant and operator on complex dramatic productions. Working in drama has been instrumental to my approach to lighting and camera movement, and I bring this knowledge and professionalism to every set I am on. Overall my cinematography is defined by candid, creative collaborations with directors and subjects, and a visual sensibility that favours bold composition, naturalistic light and motivated movement to reveal the emotional and thematic elements of the story.

Besides cinematography, I also have a directing practice that combines experimental and documentary approaches. I have an affinity for celluloid, and often work with Super8 and 16mm formats. My directing practice engages with queer history and cultural movements (notably camp). I am currently in the festival run of my first feature-length documentary (that I co-directed and DP’d) about Canadian experimental animator and activist James MacSwain. This film has won the Best Atlantic Documentary award at the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax, and also Best Feature Documentary at the Silver Wave Film Festival in Fredericton, NB.