Mirth and Death: Dick Johnson Is Dead

Director-cinematographer Kirsten Johnson, ASC aims for “new cinematic territory” with this uniquely personal hybrid documentary.

“I’m trying to break this form, to stretch cinema’s capacity,” director-cinematographer Kirsten Johnson, ASC says of her latest feature, Dick Johnson Is Dead. The work defies classification; it is a hybrid documentary, comedy, memoir, and meditation on death — a meta film about filmmaking that called for a cadre of fellow cinematographers to assist. At its core, it’s about the dementia of a loved one: Dick Johnson, the filmmaker’s father. […]