Matt Johnson (Canada, 1985)

With The Dirties (2013), Matt Johnson succeeded in producing something really extraordinary. His technique of using people’s predictable response in certain situations seems like a milestone in digital filmmaking and storytelling. Kevin Smith, who created Clerks (1994), another landmark in independent cinema, discovered him and helped him in spreading the word. The film is about bullying and high school shootings and is like a naturalist mumblecore version of Gus Van Sant’s Elephant (2003), which could easily confuse many spectators and did confuse many participants in the actual film.

For his second film, he aims to use the same method but now he wants to make a period piece about the NASA, faking the moon landing. His goal is to make people believe they came across real found footage of that time. Let’s wait and hope he gets the wider attention, he deserves.

Also have a look at his charming comedy web-series Nirvana the Band the Show before he became ‘famous’.