Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Author of SLEEP WALK. Writer for Spectrum Culture. DETENTIONAIRE co-creator. charlesjohnston.cahttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvxyppbp2c2zMy last film at TIFF '26 was the best. It was a masterpiece set in Indonesia called Four Seasons in Java. It's about a woman who returns to her village after a 20-year prison sentence for defending herself during a horrific crime. Ferocious, Shakespearean, astonishing. A staggering piece of work.20 Sep 2026 20:06 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvxyppbp2c2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvsqdvy22c2gLast night at TIFF I took in a screening of The Violinist, a lovely animated feature and powerful story about two musicians whose relationship is disrupted by WWII. Not a dry eye in the house by the end. Extra resonant for me because it was set in Singapore close to where I grew up.18 Sep 2026 17:53 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvsqdvy22c2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvpuvuakos2yFormer Toronto Sun entertainment editor and seasoned TV executive George Anthony gave my novella Sleep Walk a great review on his Substack! ❤️ https://thegeorgeanthony.substack.com/p/charles-johnston-has-a-way-with-words?r=74slkd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email17 Sep 2026 14:37 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvpuvuakos2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvktxksnec2lIt's coming up to the 20 year anniversary for a short film I wrote when I first starting out. I heard yesterday how many views it has on Youtube. Thrilled that people around the world have discovered it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbd8hlttjBg15 Sep 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvktxksnec2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvkpk47nw224Day 5 of TIFF continued. Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, with living legend Takashi Miike and his main cast in attendance. As gonzo, electric, stylish, grotesque and hilarious as to be expected, but it was also at least three movies sandwiched together that sometimes crashed into each other.15 Sep 2026 13:17 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvkpk47nw224https://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvkp25ilfk24TIFF Day 5. Saw Bucking Fastard, Werner Herzog's latest. I had trouble connecting with this one, but it was also dedicated to David Lynch, the master of cinematic dream logic, and if you watch it as if it's a bizarre dream it can be a whimsical ride.15 Sep 2026 13:08 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvkp25ilfk24https://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvge3d4egk25I was only intrigued by I Play Rocky; I had no idea it was going to knock me out. It rekindles the phenomenon that was Sly Stallone in the late '70s and firmly harnesses that spirit. It had the TIFF audience on their feet, aligning with the inspirational power of the original movie 50 years ago.13 Sep 2026 19:41 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvge3d4egk25https://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvdwiid5yc2aMike Leigh's latest Tender Loving Care is another soul-stirring film showing us how deeply the masterful director cares about human beings and their daily struggles, all while nudging actors into the realm of genius with their sensitive portrayals.12 Sep 2026 20:33 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvdwiid5yc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvdaas4fyk25I made that comfort meal from the movie Parasite last night. A pound of ribeye steak cubed and browned, added to Chapagetti and Neoguri instant noodles and garnished with green onion. The whole family ate it so fast I didn't get a picture of the meal itself.12 Sep 2026 13:55 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvdaas4fyk25https://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvd6icn2mk25Saw FJORD yesterday at TIFF with the director Cristian Mungiu taking part in a thoughtful Q and A afterward. It's a challenging film set in Norway about how our assumptions can be problematic because they're always based on personal bias. It won the Palme d'Or this year. Highly recommended.12 Sep 2026 13:23 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvd6icn2mk25https://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mvavxdwqbs2wBeing Heumann opened TIFF with a bang last night, a movie the director Siân Heder describes as "Dog Day Afternoon with disabled people." The cast brought tremendous authenticity to the film and a groundbreaking amount of candor and humor.11 Sep 2026 15:45 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvavxdwqbs2whttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3muyysgphrc2qThis film is middling at best, like a bowl of plain, unseasoned spaghetti. My review of The Girl in the River for @spectrumculture.bsky.social. https://spectrumculture.com/2026/09/07/the-girl-in-the-river-review/08 Sep 2026 12:15 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3muyysgphrc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3muhjb5ymus2cEyes Wide Shut is eerily prescient in retrospect, especially with "freak offs" and details from the Epstein files entering the public consciousness. A revisit of Kubrick's final film for @spectrumculture.bsky.social. https://spectrumculture.com/2026/08/31/revisit-eyes-wide-shut/01 Sep 2026 13:22 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhjb5ymus2chttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mtyj7q23rc2fSLEEP WALK is a a psychological thriller / mystery about a sleepwalking mechanic who has to investigate himself when his co-workers start to go missing. Publisher: https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000579327535/Charles-Johnston-Sleep-Walk Bookstore: https://astoriabookshop.com/item/f2bR0qjGAPqN3e6qNlge1A Kirkus: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-johnston/sleep-walk/26 Aug 2026 14:11 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtyj7q23rc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mthuodxpa22tI met Lorraine at Tuesdays Bookshop in Bellevue, Alberta - a picturesque little town in Crowsnest Pass - and she warmly agreed to put 5 copies of my novella Sleep Walk on her shelves right away. Beautiful area and an awesome, cozy bookstore!19 Aug 2026 23:21 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthuodxpa22thttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mth6ie66xk2tThe cul-de-sac in Pincher Creek that leads to a big, thick and sometimes even creepy forest that features prominently in my novella, Sleep Walk. (Link in pinned post for more info.)19 Aug 2026 16:44 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mth6ie66xk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mtehrkakik2cI found my novella Sleep Walk at The Next Page - a fantastic bookstore in Calgary's historic Inglewood. (Full disclosure: this is one of the few bookstores in Canada who accepted my book with open arms, and they tell me it's been selling really well!)18 Aug 2026 14:52 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtehrkakik2chttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mtc4kuxunk2vThe house that inspired the house where Mike lives in my novella, Sleepwalk. Also the super mysterious house next door to where my childhood chum lived.17 Aug 2026 16:26 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtc4kuxunk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mt5gicoiok2bThe house in Pincher Creek that inspired the house where Larry (one of the first characters to go missing) and his wife Marlene live in my novella, Sleep Walk.15 Aug 2026 19:40 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt5gicoiok2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/charlesjohnston.bsky.social/post/3mt2p53ilos27The cemetery featured in a scene in my novella Sleep Walk (link in pinned post). It's near Pincher Creek, up the hill from a farm that's been in my family for generations and next to a church that my great grandfather helped build. (The sun looks like that because of all the wildfires everywhere.)14 Aug 2026 17:37 +0000at://did:plc:4dfeh4sameayq3dcuoh57qsx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt2p53ilos27