Johnson Cheng

Johnson Cheng is a Chinese American writer and director from Los Angeles. His films have been official selections in competition at festivals such as Tribeca, TIFF, AFI FEST, and Slamdance. A member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Johnson was brought on by director Destin Daniel Cretton to direct in the first season of American Born Chinese (Disney+), a genre-hopping action-comedy series. He has also directed multiple episodes of the drama series The Chi (Paramount+ / Showtime) in Chicago, most recently returning to direct in the upcoming seventh season.

As an educator, Johnson has taught at Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, and Columbia University. He has also served as a jury member at festivals such as AFI FEST and Jia Zhangke’s PYIFF.

Johnson’s short films, written and directed in China, Japan, and his hometown of the San Gabriel Valley, include Only the Moon Stands Still (Tribeca Film Festival, AFI FEST Audience Award), Lonely Blue Night (HBO APA Visionaries Award, AFI FEST Audience Award), and Iron Hands (Tribeca Film Festival, TIFF). He is currently in post-production on A Story of Divine Wind, a jidaigeki film shot at Shochiku Studio in Kyoto.

As a producer, Johnson’s films include Yun Xie’s debut feature, Under the Burning Sun (Slamdance Narrative Features Competition), King Lu’s Shot Clock (LAAPFF), and Ben Del Vecchio’s My Father’s House.

Johnson is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award (Cary Grant Film Award) and fellowships such as Film Independent’s Project Involve (Writer/Director Fellow), Hillman Grad’s Rising Voices (Filmmaker in Residence), and Film at Lincoln Center’s NYFF Artist Academy. He was selected as a Protégé in the DGA Director Development Initiative TV Mentorship Program.

Johnson holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing and Screenwriting with honors from Columbia University's Graduate Film Program, where his thesis film won the CUFF Best Film Award. He is a member of the Television Academy and is represented by WME.