Susan Johnson (filmmaker)

Last updated

Susan Johnson
Director Susan Johnson.jpg
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater American Film Institute
Occupation(s)Film producer
Music video producer

Susan Johnson is an American film producer and director, known for directing the 2016 comedy film Carrie Pilby and the 2018 feature To All the Boys I've Loved Before .

Contents

Early life and education

Johnson earned a full scholarship to the American Film Institute's Conservatory, from which she graduated in 2000 with a master's degree in directing. [1] [2] [3] For her coursework, she directed three short films, Second Coming (1999), Call My Name (1999), and Destiny Stalled (2000).

Career

Johnson began her career as an assistant for the William Morris Agency. In 1992, along with music journalist Kevin Murphy, she founded the music video production company Vendetta Films, which produced the music video for EMF's cover "Search and Destroy", from the Unexplained EP. [4] The following year, she produced the music videos for four Gloria Estefan songs, including "Mi Tierra", "Con Los Años Que Me Quedan", from the album Mi Tierra . [5] She directed Sara Evans videos “Three Chords and the Truth” , “The Cryin’ Game”, and “I Don’t Want To See The Light”. In 1998 she directed The Warren Brothers' music video "Guilty", [6] and the following year, she directed their music video "Better Man". [7] In 1999, Johnson directed the music video for Mindy McCready's "All I Want Is Everything", from the album I'm Not So Tough . [8]

Johnson began her film producing career with the coming-of-age film Mean Creek (2004), for which she won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award and the Humanitas Prize. [9] In 2005, she produced the drama Nearing Grace , starring Jordana Brewster, Gregory Smith, David Morse, and Ashley Johnson, from a script by Jacob Estes which was adapted from the Scott Sommer novel. The following year, Johnson produced the drama film Eye of the Dolphin (2006),[ citation needed ] starring Jane Lynch, Carly Schroeder, George Harris, Katharine Ross, and Adrian Dunbar.

In 2007, Johnson formed Braveart Films with actor Gregory Smith, and produced the comedy Wieners , starring Kenan Thompson and Darrell Hammond, Zachary Levi, Jenny McCarthy, Andy Milonakis, and Joel Moore. Johnson also produced the Eye of the Dolphin sequel, Beneath the Blue (2010), which starred Paul Wesley.

She made her directorial debut with the film adaptation of Caren Lissner's novel Carrie Pilby , starring Bel Powley, Nathan Lane, and Gabriel Byrne. [10] The film premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, chosen as one of 34 "Special Presentation Films." [11] It was released by The Orchard in March of the following year, then began showing on Netflix in September, 2017. [12] Johnson directed the 2018 film adaptation of Jenny Han's novel To All the Boys I've Loved Before , starring Lana Condor, John Corbett, and Janel Parrish. [13] The film was released by Netflix. [14]

Filmography

YearTitleRole
2004 Mean Creek Producer
2005 Nearing Grace Producer
2006 Eye of the Dolphin Producer
2008 Wieners Producer
2010 Beneath the Blue Producer
2012 Eye of the Hurricane Producer
2014 God Help the Girl Co-executive producer
2016 Carrie Pilby Director, producer
Unleashed Producer
2018 To All the Boys I've Loved Before Director

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Corbett</span> American actor and country music singer (born 1961)

John Joseph Corbett Jr. is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on Northern Exposure (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City (2000–2003), Max Gregson on United States of Tara (2009–2011), and Seth Holt on Parenthood (2011–2015). In film, he is known for roles in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, Raising Helen (2004), The Messengers (2007), Sex and the City 2 (2010), Ramona & Beezus (2010), and the To All the Boys film trilogy (2018–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rian Johnson</span> American writer, director and producer

Rian Craig Johnson is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film Brick (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Transitioning to higher-profile films, Johnson achieved mainstream recognition for writing and directing the science-fiction thriller Looper (2012) to critical and commercial success. Johnson landed his largest project when he wrote and directed the space opera Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which grossed over $1 billion. He returned to the mystery genre with Knives Out (2019) and its sequel Glass Onion (2022), both of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Goddard</span> American screenwriter and director

Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, and Lost. After moving into screenwriting in film, he wrote Cloverfield (2008), World War Z (2013), and The Martian (2015), the latter earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2011, he made his directorial debut with The Cabin in the Woods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Levy</span> Canadian filmmaker (born 1968)

Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor, and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. He has worked across genres and is perhaps best known as the director of the Night at the Museum film franchise and primary producer of the Netflix series Stranger Things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Peyton</span> Canadian filmmaker (born 1978)

Brad Peyton is a Canadian filmmaker, best known for directing the Dwayne Johnson star vehicles Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), San Andreas (2015), and Rampage (2018) as well as the Netflix series Daybreak (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bel Powley</span> British actress (born 1992)

Isobel Dorothy Powley is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Powley was educated at Holland Park School. She began acting as a teenager on television, starring on the CBBC action television series M.I. High (2007–2008).

<i>To All the Boys Ive Loved Before</i> 2014 young adult romance novel by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a 2014 young adult romance novel by American author Jenny Han, first published by Simon & Schuster and released on April 15, 2014. Han was inspired to write the book based on her own habit of writing love letters to boys she had crushes on as a teenager. The novel was followed by two sequels, P.S. I Still Love You, released on May 26, 2015, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean, released on May 2, 2017.

Carrie Pilby is a coming-of-age novel by Caren Lissner, first published by Red Dress Ink in 2003, then re-released on July 1, 2010 for teenage readers under the new imprint Harlequin Teen. It was among the first novels published by Harlequin Enterprises's Red Dress Ink imprint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bella Heathcote</span> Australian actress (born 1987)

Isabella Heathcote is an Australian actress. Following her film debut in Acolytes (2008), she had a recurring role as Amanda Fowler on the television soap opera Neighbours (2009). She gained further recognition for her dual roles as Victoria Winters and Josette du Pres in the dark fantasy film Dark Shadows (2012), and Olive Byrne in the biographical drama film Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Broussard</span> American actor

Isaiah Israel Broussard is an American actor. He made his film debut in the comedy-drama Flipped, and is known for his roles in the crime film The Bling Ring (2013), the drama Perfect High (2015), the thriller H8RZ (2015), the comedy Good Kids (2016), the slasher film Happy Death Day (2017) as well as its 2019 sequel Happy Death Day 2U, and the teen romance film To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lana Condor</span> American actress (born 1997)

Lana Therese Condor is an American actress and YouTuber. She made her acting debut starring as Jubilee in the superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and gained international recognition for portraying Lara Jean Covey in the romantic comedy To All the Boys film series (2018–2021). She has also portrayed Saya Kuroki in the television series Deadly Class (2019) and Koyomi in the film Alita: Battle Angel (2019). More recently, Condor voiced the titular character in the animated teen comedy film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Brice</span> American film director

Donat Patrick Kack-Brice, known professionally as Patrick Brice, is an American film director, actor, screenwriter and cinematographer. He is known for directing Creep (2014), The Overnight (2015), Creep 2 (2017), Corporate Animals (2019) and There's Someone Inside Your House (2021).

<i>Carrie Pilby</i> (film) 2016 film by Susan Johnson

Carrie Pilby is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Johnson and written by Kara Holden and Dean Craig, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Caren Lissner. The film stars Bel Powley, Nathan Lane, Gabriel Byrne, Jason Ritter, William Moseley, Vanessa Bayer, and Colin O'Donoghue. Principal photography began on December 14, 2015, in New York City.

<i>The Lost Boys</i> (franchise) Horror film franchise

The Lost Boys is an American multimedia franchise that began with the 1987 Warner Bros. film The Lost Boys, written by Janice Fischer, James Jeremias, and Jeffrey Boam. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Harvey Bernhard. Starring Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Jamison Newlander, and Barnard Hughes, the story revolves around two brothers who move to a new town and end up fighting a gang of young vampires. The film was followed by two direct-to-DVD sequels, Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008) and Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010).

<i>To All the Boys Ive Loved Before</i> (film) 2018 film directed by Susan Johnson

To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a 2018 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Susan Johnson and written by Sofia Alvarez. The film stars Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Israel Broussard and John Corbett. The movie is based on Jenny Han's 2014 novel of the same name, and was released by Netflix on August 17, 2018. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the cast.

<i>Wounds</i> (film) 2019 film directed by Babak Anvari

Wounds is a 2019 psychological horror film written and directed by Babak Anvari, in his English language debut, and starring Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, and Zazie Beetz. The film is based on the novella The Visible Filth by Nathan Ballingrud.

<i>To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You</i> 2020 film directed by Michael Fimognari

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is a 2020 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Michael Fimognari and written by Sofia Alvarez and J. Mills Goodloe. The film stars Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Trezzo Mahoro, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Kelcey Mawema, Jordan Fisher, Ross Butler, Julie Tao, Sarayu Blue, John Corbett, and Holland Taylor. The film is based on Jenny Han's 2015 novel P.S. I Still Love You.

To All the Boys is a franchise consisting of American teenage romance installments, including three feature films and a spin-off television series, based on the titular trilogy of novels written by Jenny Han. Starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo in the central roles, the plot centers around Lara Jean Song-Covey (Condor), a shy teenager who writes five letters—ones she never planned to send—to boys that she has had crushes on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGBO</span> American film and television production company

AGBO is an independent entertainment company based in Downtown Los Angeles, founded and led by Anthony and Joe Russo and Mike Larocca. The Russo Brothers are best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most notably Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Recent AGBO TV releases include Citadel, a television series with Amazon Prime Video starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Recent AGBO film releases include Extraction, written by Joe Russo and starring Chris Hemsworth; Extraction 2; The Gray Man with Netflix in 2022; and Academy Award-Winning Best Picture film Everything Everywhere All At Once.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Made Up Stories (company)</span> Film and television production company

Made Up Stories is a film and television development and production company founded in 2017 by producer Bruna Papandrea that claims to "[champion] women on and off the screen." The company has offices in Los Angeles and Sydney.

References

  1. Coffin, Lesley (April 3, 2017). "First-time director Susan Johnson embraces 'old-school' Hollywood". FF2 Media. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  2. Gorber, Jason (March 12, 2017). "GIFF 2017: Susan Johnson Talks CARRIE PILBY". Birth. Movies. Death. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  3. Horst, Carole (May 11, 2016). "Cannes Facetime: Director/Producer Susan Johnson". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  4. Newman, Melinda (July 18, 1992). "Music Video – Holding a Grudge". Billboard . p. 37.
  5. Russell, Deborah (August 14, 1993). "Music Video – Production Notes". Billboard . p. 35.
  6. Hay, Carla (October 31, 1998). "Music Video – Production Notes". Billboard . p. 85.
  7. Hay, Carla (August 14, 1999). "Music Video – Production Notes". Billboard . p. 101.
  8. Hay, Carla (October 23, 1999). "Music Video – Production Notes". Billboard . p. 94.
  9. N'Duka, Amanda (October 3, 2016). "Gersh Signs 'Carrie Pilby' Director Susan Johnson". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  10. McNary, Dave (June 17, 2013). "'Carrie Pilby' Headed For Big Screen (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  11. Jaafar, Ali (July 26, 2016). "Toronto To Open With 'The Magnificent Seven'; 'La La Land', 'Deepwater Horizon' Among Galas & Presentations". Deadline Hollywood .
  12. Hipes, Patrick (November 1, 2016). "The Orchard Acquires Bel Powley Movie 'Carrie Pilby'". Deadline Hollywood .
  13. Jarvey, Natalie (July 21, 2017). "John Corbett, Lana Condor Join 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  14. Kroll, Justin (March 21, 2018). "Netflix Acquires Rights to Adaptation of YA Novel 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2018.