Matt Johnson
Birthday: Born in 1985-10-05 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Deathday: Alive
Jon Matthew Johnson (born October 5, 1985) is a Canadian director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He directed, co-wrote and starred in the films The Dirties (2013), Operation Avalanche (2016), BlackBerry (2023) and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2025); the latter film is based on his docufiction sitcom web series Nirvana the Band the Show (2007–2009) and its television adaptation Nirvanna the Band the Show (2017–2018). Johnson subsequently directed Tony, a 2026 biopic about chef Anthony Bourdain. Johnson began his career working in low-budget independent docufiction productions. First, he attracted accolades for The Dirties, which won Best Feature Narrative at the Slamdance Film Festival. He achieved critical and commercial success with the biopic BlackBerry, winning directing awards at the Canadian Screen Awards and Vancouver Film Critics Circle. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Film for Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. Johnson's work includes elements of pseudo-documentary filmmaking and improvisation, often using hidden camera techniques and location filming without permits. He has frequently played fictionalised versions of himself in both his own productions and those of other filmmakers. Description above is from the Wikipedia article Matt Johnson (director), licensed under CC-BY-SA; full list of contributors is on Wikipedia.
TV Credits
Nirvanna the Band the Show
Character: Matt
Two lifelong best friends and roommates are planning the greatest musical act in the history of the modern world....
Nirvana the Band the Show
Character: Matt
Musicians Matt and Jay attempt to achieve their dream of playing at a small Toronto venue, the Rivoli, through a series of various schemes and publicity stunts....
Matt & Bird Break Loose
Character: Matt (voice)
Monkey and bird best friends, Matt and Bird, have been studying humans very closely from their shared cage in the zoo. But everything they know about being human is based on what they've seen on TV. In each episode, Matt and Bird cleverly break out of the zoo in disguise in order to chase their dreams and fame...and quickly discover it's not so easy being human....
Movie Credits
Diamond Tongues
Character: John Matheson
Edith dreams of being a successful actress but just can't seem to make things happen. When she can't figure out what she's doing wrong, she begins to do everything wrong....
Operation Avalanche
Character: Matt Johnson
In 1967, four undercover CIA agents were sent to NASA posing as a documentary film crew. What they discovered led to one of the biggest conspiracies in American history....
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Character: Matt
When their plan to book a show at the Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008....
The Dirties
Character: Matt
The line between reality and fiction starts to blur when two best friends start making a movie about getting revenge on bullies....
BlackBerry
Character: Doug
Two mismatched entrepreneurs – egghead innovator Mike Lazaridis and cut-throat businessman Jim Balsillie – joined forces in an endeavour that was to become a worldwide hit in little more than a decade. The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone....
The Heirloom
Character: Belligerent Vet (Voice)
Facing a long winter of lockdown and a stubborn bout of writer’s block, filmmaker Eric reluctantly agrees to get a dog with his girlfriend, Allie. After plenty of research and negotiation, Milly arrives—a traumatized rescue from the Dominican Republic....
Matt and Mara
Character: Matt
Mara is a young creative writing professor struggling with problems in her marriage to an experimental musician. One day, she runs into Matt, a charismatic, free-spirited author from her past, when he wanders onto her university campus. Bonded by their shared interests, the two gradually become closer. When Mara’s husband unexpectedly cancels plans to drive her to an out-of-town conference, Matt accompanies Mara on the trip instead. Along the way, the tension surrounding their undefined relation...
Spice It Up
Character: Passport Photographer
A film student at Ryerson University struggles to complete her thesis project....
How Heavy This Hammer
Character: Hardware Store Employee
Erwin, a family man who spends most of his time playing PC games, makes a drastic shift in his life when he suddenly decides to leave his wife, yet finds himself in the same rut as before....
Anne at 13,000 Ft.
Character: Matt
Anne hasn't been the same since the jump. While skydiving for her best friend Sarah's bachelorette party, the 27-year-old felt focused, free, above it all. Back on the ground, the pressures of her daily life threaten to overwhelm her....
The Fantastic Corpse
Character:
The Fantastic Corpse is a short film project based on the exquisite corpse collaborative method. Dell Precision and AMD are working with creative content company Arts+Labor to bring five Fantastic Fest filmmakers together to create one short film, each filming an equal part, and continuing each others segment....
Chatterboxing
Character: Brody (voice)
It's the ultimate shouting match!! Zootaker vs. Derrick, champion vs. newbie, animal facts vs. jokes...... but WHO WILL WIN?...
My Mother's Pearls
Character: Older Steve Hamelin
...
Nirvana the Band the Show the Adventures
Character: Matt
Musicians Matt and Jay step away from their quest for the Rivoli to conquer various Toronto landmarks and seasonal traditions through a series of misguided, high-energy excursions and chaotic improvisations....
Nirvana the Band the Show: Live @ the Rivoli
Character: Self
Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol play live at the Rivoli to wrap up their web series in 2009....
Shubadak
Character: Blanks
Two American soldiers hunting for buried treasure in Iraq meet a stranger in the dunes....
The Revenge Plot
Character: Oversized Kid
Winner of the Toronto International Film Festival's 2011 RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition Fan Favourite Award. After Matt and his friends are dissed in the schoolyard by a group of girls, they set to work on an elaborate and merciless plan for revenge....
Operation Avalanche
Character: Boy
Achieving viral success after being snuck into the Sundance Film Festival, this short film features the powerful story of a young high school boy seeking revenge against the teacher that sexually assaulted him. Inspired by a series of real rapes....
The Dirties - Mr. Muldoon's Cut
Character: Matt
2 students get revenge on their school bullies...