Draft:Soren Johnstone
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Comment: No substantial independent coverage; relies too heavily on his website. SomeoneDreaming (talk) 20:27, 25 September 2026 (UTC)Soren Johnstone is a Canadian filmmaker, cinematographer, editor, producer and screenwriter based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His work includes narrative films, documentary films, action-sports productions and television. He is known for directing the feature film Play with Fire and the documentary Hicks on Sticks.[1]
Johnstone began making videos in the 1990s, initially filming skateboarding and snowboarding in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. His later work has included the documentary Lost in Havana and the travel and action-sports television series Getting Amongst.
Career
[edit]Early work
[edit]Johnstone began creating videos in the mid-1990s. His interest in filmmaking developed while filming friends skateboarding and snowboarding in British Columbia's West Kootenay region. According to his professional biography, he co-founded a production company in his early twenties and subsequently began producing professional video work.[2]
His early work was associated with skateboarding, snowboarding and other action sports. His action-sports productions include Attention Deficit, Under Exposed and Distortion.[3]
This work garnered national attention when Johnstone received a YTV Achievement Award for Visual Arts.[4]
Play with Fire
[edit]Johnstone wrote and directed the independent feature film Play with Fire. He also worked as cinematographer, editor and co-producer on the production.[5]
The film was completed in 2009. Contemporary coverage of the production by The Cascade reported that the film received a Best Cinematography award at an international film festival in Toronto.[6]
The film was shot in British Columbia and was produced independently. Johnstone worked with producer Michael Babiarz on the production.[6]
Hicks on Sticks
[edit]Johnstone wrote and directed the feature-length documentary Hicks on Sticks, which documents a skateboarding and music tour through Western Canada.[7][1]
The documentary originated with footage Johnstone recorded while accompanying the tour in 1999. The tour brought together four skateboarders and two bands and travelled through small communities in Western Canada with a portable skateboard park. The objective was to bring skateboarding and live music to young people in communities where those activities were not readily available.[7][1][8]
The Newport Beach Film Festival presented the world premiere of Hicks on Sticks in 2012. Festival material described the film as a Canadian production directed by Johnstone and documented the tour as travelling approximately 1,800 miles through Western Canada while towing a 5,000-pound portable skateboard park.[8]
More than a decade after the original tour, Johnstone combined footage recorded during the 1999 trip with later interviews with participants to create the documentary.[7][1][8]
Film critic Scott Knopf reviewed Hicks on Sticks for Film Threat in 2012. Knopf commented positively on Johnstone's use of extensive footage from the original tour and described the resulting story as captivating.[1]
The film runs approximately 115 minutes. Johnstone is credited as director, writer and producer, with Michael Babiarz also serving as producer.[9]
The documentary features skateboarders Josh Evin, Eugene Voykin, Mike Evans and Shane Wallace. The Newport Beach Film Festival described the original tour as involving four skateboarders and two bands travelling through Western Canada with a portable skateboard park.[8] Apple TV also lists the film as a 2012 documentary directed by Johnstone.[10]
In 2013, Johnstone was interviewed by Martlet, the student newspaper of the University of Victoria, about making Hicks on Sticks and the Canadian skateboarding culture depicted in the documentary.[11]
Lost in Havana
[edit]Johnstone later directed Lost in Havana, a documentary centred on skateboarding and travel in Cuba. The film continued his work documenting action sports and the communities surrounding them.[3]
Johnstone served as director, cinematographer and editor on the production.[3]
Getting Amongst
[edit]Johnstone subsequently worked on Getting Amongst, a documentary television series created by Jon Caften, combining travel, action sports and local culture. Johnstone worked as a director, camera director and editor on the series.
The program follows participants travelling internationally and interacting with local communities while taking part in skateboarding and other action sports. The series was broadcast and distributed by Tastemade and was also made available through digital distribution platforms. The show is the intellectual property of Wildkind Media, of which Johnstone is the president.
Episodes of Getting Amongst were produced in countries including Slovenia, South Africa, Paraguay, Cambodia, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden, Lebanon, the Netherlands and Panama.
Commercial production
[edit]In addition to his film and television work, Johnstone has worked as a director, cinematographer and editor in commercial video production. His professional work has included corporate, tourism, real-estate, non-profit and promotional productions.[3]
Johnstone has been associated with Warren Lane Pictures, RCP Films and Wildkind Media. He has also operated Lunara Video Services in Vancouver.
Filmmaking
[edit]Johnstone's early filmmaking developed from the skateboarding and snowboarding culture of British Columbia's interior.[2] Action sports remained a recurring subject in his later documentary work.
Hicks on Sticks uses footage shot during the original 1999 tour together with interviews conducted years later. Film Threat noted that the quantity of surviving footage allowed the documentary to rely on moving images of the original events rather than primarily on photographs and retrospective interviews.[1]
Johnstone has worked in multiple production roles, including directing, writing, cinematography, producing and editing.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Knopf, Scott (21 June 2012). "Hicks on Sticks". Film Threat. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- 1 2 "About". Soren Johnstone. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Soren Johnstone". Soren Johnstone. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ "YTV Achievement Awards", Wikipedia, 2026-04-12, retrieved 2026-10-02
- ↑ "Play With Fire (IMDb)". IMDb.
- 1 2 Mussbacher, Ashley. "Play with Fire: Indie film premiere grips crowd at the Reach". The Cascade. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Hicks on Sticks definitely on a roll". The Gazette. 27 September 2012. p. 31. Retrieved 2 October 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 "2012 Action Sports Film Series" (PDF). Newport Beach Film Festival. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
- 1 2 "Hicks on Sticks". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ "Hicks on Sticks". Apple TV. 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ Piffer, Alan (7 February 2013). "Canadian skate culture explored in documentary". Martlet. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
External links
[edit]Hicks on Sticks review at Film Threat
Interview with Soren Johnstone in Martlet
Template:DEFAULTSORT, Soren Category documentary film directors Category cinematographers Category film editors Category film producers Category screenwriters Category from British Columbia Category from Vancouver Category people
Soren Johnstone | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Film director, cinematographer, editor, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | Play with Fire, Hicks on Sticks, Lost in Havana, Getting Amongst |
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