Experiencing Interruptions?

Johnny Turn To God

Jhonny Vaya Con Dios narrates Marvin “Jhonny” Girón’s experience with the health care system and institutionalized homophobia in El Salvador when he tests positive for HIV. Johnny faces living with a potentially fatal disease in a small, impoverished country with a less than stellar health system.

  • Samuel López
    Director
    The Sugarcane; Our Faces, Our Stories; Samuel & Samantha
  • Samuel López
    Writer
    The Sugarcane; Our Faces, Our Stories; Samuel & Samantha
  • Marvin Geovanni Girón
    Key Cast
    "Johnny"
  • Samuel López
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Johnny Vaya Con Dios
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    70,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    El Salvador
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • International Aids Conferences
    Durban
    South Africa
    Work in Progress
  • International Aids Conference Global Village
    Montreal
    Canada
    August 2, 2022
    Aids 2022
  • Lift Off Sessions Pinewood Studios, England
    Vimeo On Demand
    United Kingdom
    January 16, 2023
    Online
    Official Selection
  • Lift Off Global Network Ltd. Sessions 2023 Pinewood Studios
    VOD
    United Kingdom
    February 6, 2023
    Online
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • vtape.org
    Distributor
    Country: Canada
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Samuel López

PRODUCER/ DIRECTOR: SAMUEL LOPEZ
Samuel Lopez was born in El Salvador. He left with his family during the civil war of the 1980s and settled in Montreal. Samuel is a certified translator and an HIV+ AIDS activist. HIV has been a theme of interest in his work and in his life as a community activist long before he tested positive.

In 1993, Samuel made his directorial debut with the documentary Samuel & Samantha. Samuel & Samantha is an autobiographical documentary about his life as a Latino drag queen. In 1996, while at the University of Toronto, Samuel wrote the screenplay “L’Histoire d’Henri” (“Henry’s Story”). In 2008, Samuel directed and produced the short documentary “Our Faces, Our Stories” for the group Latinos Positivos (HIV+ Latinos). He has directed several short documentary videos for Latinos Positivos Toronto and the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange. He completed the feature documentary “The Sugarcane” (2013) that premièred at the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano in La Habana, Cuba.

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Director Statement

Sexuality and HIV are themes that have driven my artistic expression since my very first work. In 1993, I made my directorial debut with the short documentary Samuel & Samantha (which screened at the Frameline Film Festival), an autobiography about my life as a Latino drag queen activist. This was a time when gay Latinos were pushing to open spaces in a homophobic society and being a drag queen was a political statement. This documentary also embodied the lasting legacy my deceased older brother Mario left me with -- to be a political activist in Toronto’s gay community and support the fight against AIDS.