ABOUT MATTIE
Madeline Johnson is an award-winning screenwriter and director who has written three feature and ten short scripts. Her debut short film “Juneteenth” was an official selection of the Prague Independent Film Festival, the Budapest Short Film Festival, and the Crown Heights Film Festival – as well as winning a Platinum Reel Award at the Nevada International Film Festival in the student competition.
At Yale University, she studied Religious Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration. In the Czech Republic, she graduated in 2016 from FAMU International’s Academic Preparation Program in Directing.
Madeline is currently finishing final drafts of two feature scripts and developing an interactive web series.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
What I love most about being a writer/director is nurturing and empowering the cast and crew to transcend the artistic boundaries of film and create a great story.
Creating film is vital because video has become our personal and cultural meditations. They are our looking glass through which we can gain the understanding and energy for social action. With changes in technology and the industry, I push the artistic boundaries of film to create new connections and transform viewers into active agents.
Drawing upon my experience in the criminal justice and religious fields, my films venture deep into a spiritual realm. My activism is helping others tap into our dreams and legacies to journey toward who we really want to be as people.
Ultimately, I make art to honor and empower us to live our most authentic selves, to make the world more livable for all of us, and to move the needle so we can understand, dream, and live in a new way.
EDUCATION
YALE UNIVERSITY
New Haven, CT
2006-2010
Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Religious Studies and Ethnicity, Race and Migration with honors
FAMU INTERNATIONAL
Prague, Czech Republic
2016-2017
Certificate for Academy Preparation Program, Directing
MADELINE’S WORK
“Beyond Our Mountains”
Writer and Director
"Juneteenth"
Writer and Director
"Old Flames"
Writer
Madeline also has freelanced on several other projects.