Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Johnny Ma

Johnny Ma
The Artistic Director Cameron Bailey along with the Cast and crew of the ‘Old Stone’, at the ‘Country of Focus Canada’ Press Conference, during the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2017), in Panaji, Goa.jpg
Johnny Ma, IFFI (2017)
Born
Ma Nan

NationalityCanadian
EducationColumbia University
Occupation(s)Director, screenwriter
Years active2000s–present
Notable workA Grand Canal, Old Stone, To Live to Sing

Johnny Ma (born Ma Nan, in Shanghai)[1] is a Chinese-Canadian film director and screenwriter.[2] He is best known for his debut feature film Old Stone, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2016. The film won the awards for Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival,[3] and Best First Feature at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017.[4] His second feature To Live To Sing premiered at the Director's Fortnight Section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Early life

Ma moved from Shanghai to Toronto, Ontario with his family when he was 10 years of age.[5] He attended the University of British Columbia,[2] studying commerce at the behest of his parents,[2] and after working in Shanghai and Wenzhou,[1] decided to pursue a degree in film at Columbia University in New York City[5] in 2010.

Career

Ma made a number of short films before breaking through to wider success with A Grand Canal in 2013.[2] That film, which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, was named to TIFF's Canada's Top Ten list as one of the ten best Canadian short films of the year,[6] and was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards.[5]

Ma's planned first feature film was Ten Thousand Happiness, for which he won the Beijing International Screenwriting Competition in 2013 and Telefilm Canada's Pitch This! competition in 2014.[2] After difficulty securing financing, he put it on hold and proceeded with Old Stone, a script he was developing as his potential second film.[2]

At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards, Old Stone was also a nominee for Best Picture; Ma was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.[2]

To Live to Sing was completed in 2019 and premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival Director's Fortnight. It went on to win both Best Film and Best Actress at the 2019 Shanghai International Film Festival.[7]

Filmography

Year Film Director Producer Writer Actor Cinematographer Format
2009 Shanghai Connection Yes Short
2010 The Robbery Yes Yes Yes
2011 The Genius from Quintino Yes Yes Yes Short
2011 Play Yes Yes Yes Short
2012 Dec 32 Yes Short
2013 Mineirinho do Riacho Yes Yes Short
2013 A Grand Canal Yes Yes Yes Short
2015 Devil's Work Yes Short
2016 Old Stone Yes Yes Feature
2019 To Live to Sing Yes Feature
2020 Johnny Ma Yes Yes Yes Short
2024 The Mother and the Bear Feature

Ma contributed a short film to the Netflix series Homemade, released in June 2020. Set in San Sebastián del Oeste, Mexico, the short is centred around a letter Ma writes to his mother, voiced over in Mandarin.[8][9]

References