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The Dishwasher

Driven by music and utilizing very little dialogue, The Dishwasher depicts the unusual relationship that develops between a kitchen worker who dreams of becoming a professional chef, and the streetgirl who helps him find his way.

Written and directed by Matt David Johnson, The Dishwasher features original music from singer-songwriter Alexz Johnson with an accompanying composition from Marko Koumoulas and Matthew Chung with ScoreSound. Produced with cooperation from Telus Storyhive and the National Screen Institute.

  • Matt David Johnson
    Director
  • Matt David Johnson
    Writer
  • Matt David Johnson
    Producer
  • Alexz Johnson
    Producer
  • Grace Fournier
    Key Cast
  • Samuel Cuevas
    Key Cast
  • Bonnie Hay
    Key Cast
  • Ben Afful
    Key Cast
  • Cole Graham
    Cinematography
  • Alexz Johnson
    Original Music / Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Inspirational, Humanitarian
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 29, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Storyhive Digital Shorts Initiative
    Vancouver, BC
    Canada
    March 29, 2016
    WINNER Provincial— British Columbia
  • The ModCon London Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 23, 2016
    European Premiere
    WINNER Best Short Film
  • The Best Shorts Competition
    California
    United States
    June 29, 2016
    WINNER Award of Excellence Special Mention
  • Edmonton International Film Festival
    Edmonton
    Canada
    October 8, 2016
  • 6th Annual McMinnville Short Film Festival
    McMinnville, Oregon
    United States
    October 1, 2016
  • 17th Annual Kerry Film Festival
    Ireland
    United Kingdom
    October 19, 2016
    Nominated for Best Score
  • The 3rd Annual Short Film Awards (The Sofies)
    New York, New York
    United States
    December 10, 2016
    Nominated for Best Director
  • The 7th Annual ITSA Film Festival
    Sonora, California
    United States
    November 11, 2016
  • 3rd Annual Garden City International Film Festival
    Bangalore, Karnataka
    India
    September 4, 2016
    India Premiere
  • Jehlum Short & Long Film Festival
    Bangalore, Karnataka
    India
    October 5, 2016
    India
  • The Discover Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    October 2, 2016
Director Biography - Matt David Johnson

Matt David Johnson is an independent Canadian filmmaker and entrepreneur with a diverse background spanning multiple industries. He's worked as a cinema manager and projectionist, a host for network television, and has written and produced several web-series and short films. Matthew resides in Toronto, Canada where he's currently in development on a feature project and series treatment for television.

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Director Statement

The inspiration for The Dishwasher came from late nights driving through East Vancouver, British Columbia. Every night young women were passed standing by the roadside, cold and despondent, and it was a rare occasion I'd see the same girl twice. Frustrated, as the days wore on I grew increasingly empathetic towards why one would choose prostitution as a solution. I realized the answer was obvious. For many, they felt they didn’t have a choice. The question then became for me ‘What could change their minds?’

Though shot in Canada, my goal was to create a story that could represent any city anywhere, as the underlying issues of sex trafficking, familial disconnection, and being an under-appreciated newcomer in unfamiliar territory are prevalent across the globe.