James M. Johnston

History

Johnston is an award-winning filmmaker from Fort Worth, TX.  He is part of the filmmaking collective Sailor Bear where he produced the films Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Listen Up Philip. Johnston also directed the short films Knife, Receive Bacon, and Merrily, Merrily.

Movies

Peter Pan & Wendy
Second Unit Director
Wendy Darling, a young girl afraid to leave her childhood home behind, meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling adventure that will change her life forever.
Oak Thorn & the Old Rose of Love
Producer
Two entities exchange their knowledge in unconventional ways.
The Green Knight
Producer
An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men.
Miss Juneteenth
Producer
Turquoise, a former beauty queen turned hardworking single mother, prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the “Miss Juneteenth” pageant, hoping to keep her from repeating the same mistakes in life that she did.
Light from Light
Producer
Shelia, a single mom and sometime paranormal investigator, is enlisted to investigate a possible “haunting” at a widower’s farmhouse in East Tennessee.
The Old Man & the Gun
Second Unit Director
The true story of Forrest Tucker, from his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are a detective, who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman, who loves him in spite of his chosen profession.
The Old Man & the Gun
Producer
The true story of Forrest Tucker, from his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are a detective, who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman, who loves him in spite of his chosen profession.
Never Goin' Back
Producer
Angela and Jessie are best friends intent on taking a wild beach trip, but when their roommate loses all their money in a drug scam, the girls—blissfully stoned—go to increasingly daring and absurd lengths to get it back.
Person to Person
Producer
Follows a variety of New York characters as they navigate personal relationships and unexpected problems over the course of one day.
A Ghost Story
Producer
Recently deceased, a white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife, only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, forced to watch passively as the life he knew and the woman he loves slowly slip away.
The Unwilling
Producer
After the death of a much despised patriarch, a mysterious box shows up during the reading of the will, forcing the family to reckon with each of their own deadly sins.
Melville
Writer
Marcus is dealing with some serious shit but he can't seem to talk to anyone about it.
Melville
Director
Marcus is dealing with some serious shit but he can't seem to talk to anyone about it.
Listen Up Philip
Producer
Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip's idol Ike Zimmerman offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject: himself.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Second Unit Director
Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie, an impassioned young outlaw couple on an extended crime spree, are finally apprehended by lawmen after a shootout in the Texas hills. Although Ruth wounds a local officer, Bob takes the blame. But four years later, Bob escapes from prison and sets out to find Ruth and their daughter, born during his incarceration.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Producer
Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie, an impassioned young outlaw couple on an extended crime spree, are finally apprehended by lawmen after a shootout in the Texas hills. Although Ruth wounds a local officer, Bob takes the blame. But four years later, Bob escapes from prison and sets out to find Ruth and their daughter, born during his incarceration.
Pit Stop
Producer
Recovering from an ill-fated affair with a married man, Gabe finds solace in the relationship he maintains with his ex-wife and daughter. On the other side of town, Ernesto evades life at home with his current live-in ex-boyfriend by spending much of his spare time in the hospital with an ailing past love. Impervious to the monotony of their blue-collar world, they maintain an unwavering yearning for romance. The emotional isolation the two men have grown accustomed to is captured in a subtle, optimistic, poetic fashion while avoiding melodrama.
Carried Away
Celery Eater
Ed Franklin, a young man pursuing his dreams in Hollywood, returns home to Fort Worth, Texas at Christmas time to find his family in turmoil. His parents' marriage is crumbling and his relationship with his two brothers is rocky at best. The discovery that his beloved Granny has been placed in a nursing home after a stroke left her mentally disabled pushes Ed over the edge. He decides to come to his unhappy Granny's rescue, abducting her from the home against his family's orders. Ed's father Rex and brothers, Steve and Davy, set out after Ed and Granny, and a cross-country pursuit begins.
Carried Away
Producer
Ed Franklin, a young man pursuing his dreams in Hollywood, returns home to Fort Worth, Texas at Christmas time to find his family in turmoil. His parents' marriage is crumbling and his relationship with his two brothers is rocky at best. The discovery that his beloved Granny has been placed in a nursing home after a stroke left her mentally disabled pushes Ed over the edge. He decides to come to his unhappy Granny's rescue, abducting her from the home against his family's orders. Ed's father Rex and brothers, Steve and Davy, set out after Ed and Granny, and a cross-country pursuit begins.
Knife
Writer
Set in rural Texas the story chronicles an unnamed man with a broken spirit. In the beginning we see him returning to his family. Where he’s been is unknown. Wherever it was – prison, maybe war – the years have not been kind to him. In spite of his family’s warm welcome the man can’t shake an anger that builds in him so he must leave them again. This time to return to the land that was once theirs, a land that had been in the family for generations, a land that has been stolen, plundered, and sewn with seeds of greed. There’s a force at work, a corruption that destroys homes, nature, families, and memories. The Man decides to lay his stakes down and pits himself against it all. He is on a ruinous mission to sate the hatred in his heart with the knife he carries in his hand.
Knife
Director
Set in rural Texas the story chronicles an unnamed man with a broken spirit. In the beginning we see him returning to his family. Where he’s been is unknown. Wherever it was – prison, maybe war – the years have not been kind to him. In spite of his family’s warm welcome the man can’t shake an anger that builds in him so he must leave them again. This time to return to the land that was once theirs, a land that had been in the family for generations, a land that has been stolen, plundered, and sewn with seeds of greed. There’s a force at work, a corruption that destroys homes, nature, families, and memories. The Man decides to lay his stakes down and pits himself against it all. He is on a ruinous mission to sate the hatred in his heart with the knife he carries in his hand.
Pioneer
Producer
A father tells his little boy the most epic bedtime story ever.
St. Nick
Assistant Director
St. Nick is the story of a brother and sister on the run. They've left their home for some unknown reason and are living in the woods, hiding in barns and sheds, doing what they can to survive. As the bitter Texas winter sets in, they strike up residence in an abandoned country house and, for a brief, happy period, manage to escape the harsh realities of their circumstances.
St. Nick
Producer
St. Nick is the story of a brother and sister on the run. They've left their home for some unknown reason and are living in the woods, hiding in barns and sheds, doing what they can to survive. As the bitter Texas winter sets in, they strike up residence in an abandoned country house and, for a brief, happy period, manage to escape the harsh realities of their circumstances.
Ciao
Assistant Director
A man learns that his late friend had a secret online lover who is on the way from Italy.
Ciao
Co-Producer
A man learns that his late friend had a secret online lover who is on the way from Italy.
Blood on the Highway
Trucker Vampire
On their way to a rock concert, Carrie, her boyfriend Sam, and Bone, her thug ex-boyfriend, get lost and wind up in Fate, Texas – a town populated by bloodthirsty, dimwitted vampires. Featuring genre favorites Nicholas Brendon and Tom Towles.
The Outlaw Son
Producer
A young man calls an old friend to pick him up from the airport. She does so, and they spend a long cold night in each other's company; driving around, listening to music, and trying hard not to grow up.
Deadroom
Producer
Four encounters, each confined to a single room: a man helps a young woman remember her past; a husband and wife confront each other about their infidelities; a journalist interviews a famous author about the mysteries hidden in his novel; and a secretary visits her former employer to tell him how much she's always loved him. Each of these conversations could happen any day, every day – except that the young woman has been raped and murdered, the husband has died in a terrible automobile accident, the employer has perished in a fire, and the novelist has passed away from old age. The four intertwined stories weave a tale that is shocking, humorous, tragic and uplifting, in which secrets are shared, truths are revealed, and each of the eight characters comes to an understanding they could not have gained without the touch of death.
Deadroom
Writer
Four encounters, each confined to a single room: a man helps a young woman remember her past; a husband and wife confront each other about their infidelities; a journalist interviews a famous author about the mysteries hidden in his novel; and a secretary visits her former employer to tell him how much she's always loved him. Each of these conversations could happen any day, every day – except that the young woman has been raped and murdered, the husband has died in a terrible automobile accident, the employer has perished in a fire, and the novelist has passed away from old age. The four intertwined stories weave a tale that is shocking, humorous, tragic and uplifting, in which secrets are shared, truths are revealed, and each of the eight characters comes to an understanding they could not have gained without the touch of death.
Deadroom
Director
Four encounters, each confined to a single room: a man helps a young woman remember her past; a husband and wife confront each other about their infidelities; a journalist interviews a famous author about the mysteries hidden in his novel; and a secretary visits her former employer to tell him how much she's always loved him. Each of these conversations could happen any day, every day – except that the young woman has been raped and murdered, the husband has died in a terrible automobile accident, the employer has perished in a fire, and the novelist has passed away from old age. The four intertwined stories weave a tale that is shocking, humorous, tragic and uplifting, in which secrets are shared, truths are revealed, and each of the eight characters comes to an understanding they could not have gained without the touch of death.
Wedded Bliss?
Assistant Director
In this moving, introspective drama, newlyweds Raj (Devashish Saxena) and Niki (Renu Saxena) approach married life with all the hopes and expectations of most couples. But reality soon rears its head as miscommunication and numerous misunderstandings complicate matters during the traditional period of adjustment. The film's supporting cast includes Anu Gandhi, Zia Khan, Julie Arebalo and Harout Yerganian.
Wedded Bliss?
Director of Photography
In this moving, introspective drama, newlyweds Raj (Devashish Saxena) and Niki (Renu Saxena) approach married life with all the hopes and expectations of most couples. But reality soon rears its head as miscommunication and numerous misunderstandings complicate matters during the traditional period of adjustment. The film's supporting cast includes Anu Gandhi, Zia Khan, Julie Arebalo and Harout Yerganian.