Pete Johnston is a filmmaker and educator whose short fiction and documentary works have screened in film festivals across the country. His most recent documentary pieces have explored themes of immigration and sanctuary. Walking For Ded won Best Documentary at the 2019 Cinetopia: Detroit Voices film festival. What Happens To A Dream Deferred won, among other awards, the Advocacy in Latino Film Award at the 2018 Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival. His most recent fiction work GRBBR was a horror-satire about the gig economy. He’s currently working on a docuseries about gun violence and a documentary feature about magic and magicians.
He co-created the FILMETRY festival with poet Cindy Hunter Morgan in 2019. FILMETRY challenges filmmakers to adapt poetry into cinepoems. Each year’s festival is based on a thematic group of poetry, ranging from topics such as the concept of “home,” the music of Detroit, the coronavirus pandemic, and cinema itself. He has had his own filmetry work shown in experimental and video poetry festivals around the world.
As an educator, he has taught film production and managed the Film Studies production space and equipment at Michigan State University since 2012. He regularly teaches courses such as Intro to Film Production, Cinematography, Editing Aesthetics, and the Fiction Film Production capstone. With colleague Justus Nieland, he has led the Film in Britain study abroad program in London and Edinburgh. He also has led the Spring Break Study Away program in Los Angeles with colleague Kate Sonka. He has given workshops on production topics like cellphone cinematography to both industry and lay audiences. He also leads a weeklong summer camp for young filmmakers.
As a storyteller he has brought stories to life for clients like Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters, Michigan Humanities, Dr. April Baker-Bell, Eli Review, and more. He believes in the power of film to make positive change.
Pete has a B.F.A. in photography from Alma College and an M.A. in Digital Media Art and Technology from Michigan State University.