Resume
FILMOGRAPHY
BRENDA AND BAXTER (7 mins; comedy; digital; 2024) – Writer/Director/Producer
Distribution: Canadian Film Centre
Currently in post-production.
MOTHER’S SKIN (20 mins; drama; Super 16mm; 2022) – Writer/Director/Producer/Editor
Distribution: La Distributice de Films
Festivals & Awards: Shanghai International Film Festival (Finalist: Golden Goblet Short Film Competition), Olhar de Cinema (Brazil), Festival Internacional de Curtas de Verín (Spain), Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival (Greece), Vancouver International Film Festival, Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Atlantic Film Festival (Winner – Best Atlantic Short, Winner – Joan Orenstein Award for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actor), Cinema on the Bayou (USA), Silver Wave Film Festival, Charlottetown Film Fest, Vancouver Int’l Women in Film Festival, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Festival Filministes, Winner: Best Actress – Briar Ainslie – ACTRA Maritimes Awards, Nominee: Best Director – WIFT-AT Award, Nominee: Best Short – Screen Nova Scotia Awards, Nickel Independent Film Festival, Regina International Film Festival,
INGRID AND THE BLACK HOLE (6 mins; fantasy; digital; 2016) – Writer/Director/Producer/Editor
Broadcasts: CBC Reflections, CBC Gem, CBC Reel East Coast, Air Canada
Distribution: Winnipeg Film Group
Festivals & Awards: Winner: BravoFact/WIFT 35k Pitch Contest, Cannes Not Short on Talent, Fantasia International Film Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival – Winner: Best Canadian Short, Festival de Cinema de la Ville Quebec, Yorkton Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, National Arts Centre of Canada, Yorkton Golden Sheaf Awards Nominee: Best Short Subject St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, ACTRA Maritimes Awards – Winner: Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Molly Dunsworth, Showcase Truro Film Festival, Silver Wave Film Festival -Winner: Best Canadian Short, Charlottetown Film Festival, Blood in the Snow Film Festival, Shorts International Film Festival, Little Terrors Festival – Monthly Screening Series, Vancouver Island Short Film Fest – Winner: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Technical Achievement, NSI Online Film Festival, Reel to Real Int’l Film Festival for Youth, Toxic Nova Cinema Screening Series, Parrsboro Film Festival, Reel Shorts Film Festival, Halifax Independent Film Festival, Female Eye Film Festival, Young Performer Awards – Nominee: Best Performance: Jordan Poole, NSI Online Film Festival, Long Listed for the Academy Awards.
MY YOUNGER OLDER SISTER (16 mins; drama; digital; 2015) – Writer/Director/Actor/Producer
Broadcasts: CBC Reel Coast Program
Distribution: Winnipeg Film Group
Festivals & Awards: Winner of the 2014 Linda Joy Award. Shorts International Film Festival- Maremetraggio, Atlantic Film Festival, Worldfest Houston- Winner: Platinum Remi Award, Spotlight Gala: Showcase Truro Film Festival, Silver Wave Film Festival – Nominee: Best Canadian Short), Parrsboro Film Festival, NSI Online Film Festival, ACTRA Maritimes Awards- Nominee: Best Actress: Leah Johnston.
SOME THINGS WON’T SLEEP (10 mins; thriller; digital; 2014) – Writer/Director
Festivals & Awards: National Screen Institute Drama Prize, Montreal World Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival – CBC Short Gala, Yorkton Film Festival -Nominee: Best Emerging Filmmaker, Palm Springs Shortsfest Marketplace,Canadian Film Festival – Winner: Best Production Design, Hollyshorts Film Festival- Monthly Screening Series, Silverwave Film Festival – Winner: Best Horror, Nickel Independent Film Festival, Island Media Arts Festival, Screen Nova Scotia Awards – Nominee: Best Short, Parrsboro Film Festival, Love Your Shorts Film Festival, New Vision Film Festival, Worldfest Houston – Winner: Special Jury Prize, Halifax Independent Film Festival, ACTRA Maritimes Awards -Nominee: Best Actress, Showcase Truro Film Festival, Tromadance Film Festival, NSI Online Film Festival – Corus Fearless Female Filmmaker Award. HIFF Touring series.
ANOTHER MAN (5 mins; drama; digital; 2013) – Writer/Director/Producer/Actor/Editor
Festivals & Awards: Montreal World Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Parrsboro Film Festival Winner: Audience’s Choice Award- Best Film (Under 5 Minutes) & Winner: Jury’s Choice Award- Best Film (Under 5 Minutes) .
TELEVISION PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE
KEIRA AND THE TIME KEY (In Development, 2 x 22 mins, 2023) – Co-creator, Co-writer, Producer (Pilot, 102) – Pretty Fierce Films/Banger Films. Sharing showrunning role with co-creator Rachael Schaefer (The Next Step). Development support Bell Fund/CMF/Attraction Distribution.
ANGEL OF DEATH (In Development, 1 x 60 mins, 2023) – Writer, Producer (Pilot) – Pretty Fierce Films.
Development support Bell Fund/CMF/CBC/Super Channel.
ESCAPE FROM PLAUEN (In Development, 1 x 60 mins, 2020) – Writing Intern – Don Carmody Television
MARY KILLS PEOPLE S2 (2 x 60 mins, 2017) – Director Shadow to David Wellington (205, 206) – Cameron Pictures/eOne *Directed several scenes on the episodes.
THE NEXT STEP S6 (4 x 22 mins, 2017) – Director Shadow to Melanie Orr (617-620) – Radical Sheep/Family Channel
DINO DANA S2 (2 x 11 mins, 2017) – Director Shadow to Stephen Reynolds (210, 214) – Sinking Ship/Amazon
FILM/TELEVISION ACTING CREDITS
EVERYONE’S FAMOUS – Guest Star – CBC Web Series/Walter Forsyth
MY YOUNGER OLDER SISTER – Lead – Bad Fem Productions/Leah Johnston
HIDDEN WINDOW– Principal – Nickel Media/Greg Jackson
HAVEN (3 Episodes)– Recurring, Actor – Syfy/Shawn Piller
GOSSIP GIRL –Under 5 – Warner Brothers/Lee Chemel
AS THE WORLD TURNS– Principal – CBS/Michael Eilbaum
THE DESERT ENCOUNTER– Lead – Short Film/Blake Hodges
AWARDS
WINNER: CORUS FEARLESS FEMALE DIRECTOR AWARD– National Screen Institute2016
WINNER: BRAVOFACT/WIFT $35K PITCH CONTEST 2015
WINNER: LINDA JOY AWARD 2014
NATIONAL SCREEN INSTITUTE DRAMA PRIZE RECIPIENT2013
TRAINING & EDUCATION
2023 CANADIAN FILM CENTRE– 5.5 month Feature Film Directing Intensive
2020 CREATING A HIT TV SERIES – One week intensive taught by John Yorke
2020 STORYTELLING FOR TV SCREENWRITERS – Two week intensive taught by John Yorke
2017 ACADEMY OF CANADIAN CINEMA AND TELEVISION – DirectingMentorship Program
2016 REYKJAVIK TALENT LAB – Writer/Director Training program
2015 ATLANTIC FILMMAKER’S COOPERATIVE – Film 5 – Writer/Director Training program
2013 NATIONAL SCREEN INSTITUTE – Drama Prize -Writer/Director Training program
2007 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – BFA Drama & Musical Theatre
BUSSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS
PRETTY FIERCE FILMS – Owner/Lead Producer – N.S. Film Production Company Inc’d 2015
CONTACT
DIRECT – tel: 902 956 9814 email: leah@leahjohnston.com