John Westheuser

Filmes

Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power
Director of Photography
A autora e poetisa canadense Margaret Atwood discute sua vida e obra.
A Kandahar Away
Director of Photography
In 1991, a refugee arrived in Canada with his wife and five children, having fled his home in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Decades later, upon discovering the dwindling hamlet of Kandahar, Saskatchewan, he felt an immediate connection that needed to be explored. Abdul Bari Jamal's impulsive purchase of eight empty lots in the middle of the Canadian Prairies became an unexpected inheritance for his grown children. When the extended family of self-declared urbanites make their first trip together to witness their new property, Jamal's daughter takes the opportunity to document the unusual family vacation, hoping to unpack her father's relationship to his homeland and Canadian patriotism. What transpires on their journey is so much more than a humorous Green Acres collision of cultures-it's a heartfelt and moving conversation about two nations connected by conflict and how much of our identity is tied to the land we occupy.
The Corporate Coup D'État
Director of Photography
A democracy should protect its most vulnerable citizens, but increasingly the United States is failing to do so. This investigation blends the insights of experts with the experiences of citizens of the Rust Belt in the Midwest where the steel industry once flourished, but where closures and outsourcing have left urban areas desolate. It is here where Donald Trump finds some of his most fervent supporters.
NCR: Not Criminally Responsible
Director of Photography
NCR: Not Criminally Responsible tells the story of a troubled young man who stabbed a complete stranger 6 times in a crowded shopping mall while gripped by psychosis. Twelve years later, his victim, who miraculously survived, is terrified to learn that he's out, living in the community under supervision. He's applying for an absolute discharge, and if he succeeds, he'll no longer be required to take the anti-psychotic drugs that control his mental illness. With unprecedented access to the patient, the victim, and the mental institution, the film looks at both sides of the debate and puts a human face on the complex ethical issues raised.
All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone
Director of Photography
Vancouver-based filmmaker and TV news veteran Fred Peabody explores the life and legacy of the maverick American journalist I.F. Stone, whose long one-man crusade against government deception lives on in the work of such contemporary filmmakers and journalists as Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, David Corn, and Matt Taibbi.
My Life So Far
Cinematography
My Life So Far is a revealing portrait of a young Haitian Canadian returning to her native country to rediscover her culture, her struggles and successes as an athlete and her transformation into an independent young woman. Cassandre left Haiti in 1994 when she was adopted by Canadian filmmaker, Alan Collins, and visual artist, Violet Rosengarten. Growing up in Nova Scotia, Cassandra develops a love, and a serious talent for, track and field. This warm and affectionate documentary, captured by her parents over her entire lifetime, follows Cassandre’s athletic pursuits while highlighting the universal aspects of her personal story.
Apertando as Mãos do Diabo
Director of Photography
A história do canadense Romeo Dallaire e seu comando das Nações Unidas durante o genocídio em Ruanda, em 1994.
Doce
Director of Photography
Uma história provocativa entre um teen suburbano agitado, e Butch, um aventureiro da rua, nas vésperas do seu 18º aniversário. Butch desafia Cliff’s para uma aventura , expondo-o a um mundo diferente que pode muda-lo para sempre.
El Contrato
Director of Photography
This documentary from Min Sook Lee follows a poverty-stricken father from Central Mexico, along with several of his countrymen, as they make their annual migration to southern Ontario to pick tomatoes. For 8 months a year, the town's population absorbs 4,000 migrant workers who toil under conditions, and for wages, that no local would accept. Yet despite a fear of repercussions, the workers voice their desire for dignity and respect.
Spirits of Havana
Director of Photography
This feature documentary offers a glimpse of contemporary Cuba’s rich musical culture through the experiences of renowned Canadian soprano sax player and flautist Jane Bunnett. Jane and her husband, trumpeter Larry Cramer, are surrounded by the charm of Old Havana as they connect with some of the city's finest musicians—like singers Bobby Carcasses and Amado Dedeu —for a recording session. Bunnett and Cramer then venture to small towns like Cienfuegos and Camaguey, where they hook up with local musicians and visit music schools. Global music fans will be captivated by the performances of Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, a celebrated Afro-Cuban rumba group, and Desandann, a 10-member a cappella choir that sings in Haitian Creole.