Directing
Kirsten Johnson
Born 1965-10-12
Seattle, Washington, USA
Department: Directing
Biography
Kirsten Johnson (born 12 October 1965, Seattle) is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker. She graduated from Brown University in 1987, with a BA in Fine Arts and Literature. After two years in West Africa working on local fiction and documentary film projects, she attended the FEMIS (the French National Film School) in Paris. Her film "Cameraperson" premiered at Sundance 2016 and her short "The Above" premiered at 2015 New York Film Festival. Her work as a cinematographer appears in Oscar-winning "Citizen Four," Academy Award-nominated, "The Invisible War," Tribeca winner, "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," "Fahrenheit 9/11", Academy Award-nominated "Asylum," "This Film is Not Yet Rated," and "Derrida."
Known For
Prominent works featuring Kirsten Johnson
Movie
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Fahrenheit 9/11
2004
TMDB3.5
Movie
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Citizenfour
2014
TMDB3.9
Movie
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This Film Is Not Yet Rated
2006
TMDB3.5
TV
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Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
TMDB3.1
TV
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Point of View
1988
TMDB3.5
Movie
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Audrie & Daisy
2016
TMDB3.6
Movie
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Dick Johnson Is Dead
2020
TMDB3.5
Movie
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Betting on Zero
2016
TMDB3.5
Movie
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The Invisible War
2012
TMDB3.5
Movie
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Cameraperson
2016
TMDB3.4
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (125 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sabbath Queen | Cinematography | Movie | 2024 |
 | Helen and the Bear | Executive Producer | Movie | 2024 |
 | A Photographic Memory | Executive Producer | Movie | 2024 |
 | The Arc of Oblivion | Self | Movie | 2023 |
 | Subject | Self | Movie | 2023 |
 | Arctic Summer | Thanks | Movie | 2021 |
 | The Viewing Booth | Executive Producer | Movie | 2020 |
 | Mother | Executive Producer | Movie | 2020 |
 | On the Record | Additional Camera | Movie | 2020 |
 | Dick Johnson Is Dead | Self | Movie | 2020 |
| Dick Johnson Is Dead | Director | Movie | 2020 |
| Dick Johnson Is Dead | Writer | Movie | 2020 |
| Dick Johnson Is Dead | Director of Photography | Movie | 2020 |
| Dick Johnson Is Dead | Producer | Movie | 2020 |
 | Elliott Erwitt - Silence Sounds Good | Director of Photography | Movie | 2019 |
 | Museum Town | Director of Photography | Movie | 2019 |
 | Cradle of Champions | Additional Camera | Movie | 2018 |
 | A Thousand Thoughts | Director of Photography | Movie | 2018 |
 | Crime + Punishment | Camera Operator | Movie | 2018 |
| ROOM H.264: Brooklyn, NY, June 2016 | self | Movie | 2018 | |
 | Brooklyn Inshallah | Consulting Producer | Movie | 2018 |
 | 32 Pills: My Sister's Suicide | Additional Photography | Movie | 2017 |
 | Atomic Homefront | Additional Camera | Movie | 2017 |
 | Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge | Director of Photography | TV Series | 2017 |
 | Risk | Co-Producer | Movie | 2017 |
| Risk | Director of Photography | Movie | 2017 |
 | In the Service of the Film | self | Movie | 2017 |
 | A Thousand Mothers | Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
| The Joy of Extreme Possibility | Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 | |
 | Audrie & Daisy | Additional Camera | Movie | 2016 |
 | Cameraperson | Self (archive footage) | Movie | 2016 |
| Cameraperson | Director | Movie | 2016 |
| Cameraperson | Producer | Movie | 2016 |
| Cameraperson | Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
 | Betting on Zero | Additional Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
 | Trapped | Director of Photography | Movie | 2016 |
 | The Above | Director | Movie | 2015 |
| The Above | Producer | Movie | 2015 |
| The Above | Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 |
 | Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter | Self | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Very Semi-Serious | Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 |
 | The Armor of Light | Additional Photography | Movie | 2015 |
 | A Woman Like Me | Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 |
 | Buffalo Returns | Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 |
| Once a Month on Sunday | Director of Photography | Movie | 2015 | |
 | That Film About Money | Director of Photography | Movie | 2014 |
 | Citizenfour | Director of Photography | Movie | 2014 |
| Citizenfour | Co-Producer | Movie | 2014 |
 | The Wound and the Gift | Director of Photography | Movie | 2014 |
 | 1971 | Director of Photography | Movie | 2014 |
 | Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity | Director of Photography | Movie | 2014 |
 | Seeds of Time | Camera Operator | Movie | 2013 |
 | Fatal Assistance | Director of Photography | Movie | 2013 |
 | ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, from Script to Stage | Additional Photography | Movie | 2013 |
 | Here One Day | Director of Photography | Movie | 2012 |
 | The Program | Producer | Movie | 2012 |
| The Program | Director of Photography | Movie | 2012 |
 | Virgin Tales | Director of Photography | Movie | 2012 |
 | A Place at the Table | Director of Photography | Movie | 2012 |
 | The Invisible War | Director of Photography | Movie | 2012 |
 | I Came to Testify | Director of Photography | Movie | 2011 |
 | Yelling To The Sky | Still Photographer | Movie | 2011 |
| The Lady Is a Fighting Lion | Director of Photography | Movie | 2011 | |
| The Lady Is a Fighting Lion | Assistant Editor | Movie | 2011 | |
| This Very Life | Cinematography | Movie | 2011 | |
 | The Oath | Director of Photography | Movie | 2010 |
 | No Woman, No Cry | Director of Photography | Movie | 2010 |
 | The Edge of Joy | Additional Camera | Movie | 2010 |
 | Waiting for Mercy: The Case Against Mohammed Hossain and Yassin Aref | Co-Producer | Movie | 2009 |
| Waiting for Mercy: The Case Against Mohammed Hossain and Yassin Aref | Editor | Movie | 2009 |
 | Outrage | Additional Camera | Movie | 2009 |
 | Throw Down Your Heart | Director of Photography | Movie | 2008 |
 | Pray the Devil Back to Hell | Director of Photography | Movie | 2008 |
| Oscar's Comeback | Director of Photography | Movie | 2008 | |
 | Lioness | Director of Photography | Movie | 2008 |
 | Darfur Now | Director of Photography | Movie | 2007 |
 | Slacker Uprising | Director of Photography | Movie | 2007 |
 | Small Steps: Creating the High School for Contemporary Arts | Director of Photography | Movie | 2007 |
 | How Much Is Your Life Worth? | Additional Camera | Movie | 2007 |
 | Election Day | Director of Photography | Movie | 2007 |
| Election Day | Producer | Movie | 2007 |
 | Crime Fiction | Director of Photography | Movie | 2007 |
 | This Film Is Not Yet Rated | Self - Interviewer (voice) | Movie | 2006 |
| This Film Is Not Yet Rated | Director of Photography | Movie | 2006 |
 | Welcome Back to the Barrio | Second Assistant Camera | Movie | 2006 |
| Project Leap: Learning Out Loud | Director of Photography | Movie | 2005 | |
| Red Hook Justice | Director of Photography | Movie | 2005 | |
 | Deadline | Director | Movie | 2004 |
| Deadline | Director of Photography | Movie | 2004 |
| The Venetian Dilemma | Additional Photography | Movie | 2004 | |
 | Ladies First | Director of Photography | Movie | 2004 |
 | Fahrenheit 9/11 | Additional Camera | Movie | 2004 |
| Building to Extremes | Camera Operator | Movie | 2004 | |
| Innovation: Life, Inspired | Camera Operator | TV Series | 2004 | |
 | Rokia: Voice of a New Generation | Director of Photography | Movie | 2003 |
| A Nation on Edge | Camera Operator | Movie | 2003 | |
| Chasing the Virus | Camera Operator | Movie | 2003 | |
| India | Camera Operator | Movie | 2003 | |
| Starring Osama Bin Laden | Camera Operator | Movie | 2003 | |
 | A Decade Under the Influence | Additional Camera | Movie | 2003 |
 | Asylum | Director of Photography | Movie | 2003 |
 | Boys Will Be Girls | Director of Photography | Movie | 2003 |
 | Risk/Reward | Additional Photography | Movie | 2003 |
 | Heart of America | Art Direction | Movie | 2003 |
 | Wide Angle | Camera Operator | TV Series | 2002 |
| Ancient Poison, Modern Cure | Camera Operator | Movie | 2002 | |
 | The Hamptons | Director of Photography | Movie | 2002 |
 | The Hamptons | Additional Camera | TV Series | 2002 |
 | Frontline/World | Camera Operator | TV Series | 2002 |
 | Derrida | Director of Photography | Movie | 2002 |
 | Two Towns of Jasper | Additional Camera | Movie | 2002 |
| American Standoff | Director of Photography | Movie | 2002 | |
 | Trembling Before G-d | Additional Camera | Movie | 2001 |
| Profit & Nothing But! Or Impolite Thoughts on the Class Struggle | Director of Photography | Movie | 2001 | |
 | Perpetua 664 | Director of Photography | Movie | 2001 |
 | Journey to the West: Chinese Medicine Today | Director of Photography | Movie | 2001 |
 | Brother Born Again | Director of Photography | Movie | 2001 |
 | Innocent Until Proven Guilty | Director | Movie | 1999 |
| Science Times | Camera Operator | TV Series | 1997 | |
 | Bintou in Paris | Director | Movie | 1995 |
| Bintou in Paris | Screenplay | Movie | 1995 |
 | Il faut que je l'aime | Director of Photography | Movie | 1994 |
 | Point of View | Director of Photography | TV Series | 1988 |
| Sontag | Screenplay | Movie | — | |
| Sontag | Director | Movie | — |