Growing up between two cultures taught John the values he explores in his work. After 25 years helping directors realize their vision, he co-wrote and directed Songs in Stone (1998), documenting the collaboration between parents James and Alma Houston and the people of Cape Dorset that launched Inuit art worldwide. His first six films won national and international awards.
Films seven: L’NUK 101: Finding Common Ground , and eight: Atautsikut / Leaving None Behind, are now moving out into the world.
When not off filming, or sailing on Adventure Canada with wife and fellow resource staffer, Ree Brennin Houston, John lives in historic Halifax.
Producer Stephen Fielding launched The Grise Fiord Picture Company Incorporated in 2016, from Grise Fiord, Nunavut. The objective is to collaborate with Nunavut residents and Producer John Houston to offer Arctic stories to the globe in a manner that complements Nunavut’s movement towards complete self-determination, with deepest respect for all involved.
Joe Michael is a highly regarded L’nuk (Mi’kmaq) Elder, with 27 years as an RCMP officer and security officer. His lifetime commitment as a Pipe Carrier and a Sacred Fire Keeper helps all races to better understand Indigenous culture. He inspired the television production, L’NUK 101: Finding Common Ground, and saw it through to fruition as co-producer. Using skills from other walks of life to provide leadership and Indigenous counsel in film and television production, he served as producer and shareholder of Atautsikut Production Ltd., which completed Atautsikut / Leaving None Behind, a sixty-minute documentary in Nunavik (Northern Québec).
Ann Bernier has over three decades of experience as a professional in the screen industry in Canada. After a stint at Telefilm Canada, she was Director of Operations and Development at imX Communications Inc. which produced such award-winning co-production films as Margaret’s Museum staring Helena Bonham Carter, Love and Death on Long Island staring John Hurt and Jason Priestly, and New Waterford Girl. While there, she produced the feature films The Wild Dogs by Thom Fitzgerald and the Canada/France co-production Folle Embellie. She is Producer on John Walker’s last three feature documentaries, including his recent 2019 film Assholes: A Theory for documentary Channel. She has also just delivered two one-hour television documentaries The Mill and Hear!Here! to CBC.
John Walker is one of Canada’s most prolific documentary filmmakers. He has won acclaim for his films with over sixty Canadian and international nominations and awards for his writing, directing, producing and cinematography. His passionate commitment to the documentary form led him to co-found the Documentary Organization of Canada and act as a mentor to numerous emerging filmmakers across the country. In 2018, he was honoured with a Hot Docs Focus On Retrospective and a Canadian Society of Cinematographers Masters Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Art of Cinematography. His films can be viewed at www.johnwalkerproductions.com
Mark Hammond is an independent, award winning director of photography and lighting camera operator. He has been capturing the magic and beauty of land and sea, music and culture, and documenting a variety of sharp and poignant stories around the Globe for the past four decades.
Mark has a keen eye for originality and brings a strong and professional creativity into every production he is involved in. After spending almost 20 years in traditional Canadian broadcasting—shooting in-house production series, commercial and news features, music and sports—he founded Nova Scotia based, independent production company Hammond Productions, in 1998.
Since then, Mark has enjoyed an independent working career, stacked with interesting people, travel and adventure—that has brought him to many wonderful places around the world. He approaches every project as a new opportunity to learn and share.
Christopher Cooper has been editing feature films, documentaries and television series since 1985. His feature work for Hollywood studios includes Brain Candy for Paramount Studios and The Wrong Guy for Disney and HandMade Films. For his work on the documentary Diary Of A Teen Smoker and the comedy series The Kids In The Hall Chris earned numerous Cable Ace and Gemini award nominations. He now lives and works in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Other notable projects include Charlie Zone winner of the best feature at the Atlantic Film Festival written and directed by Micheal Melskie, The Disappeared, a feature film directed by the award winning novelist Shandi Mitchell and the acclaimed documentary James Houston: The Most Interesting Group of People You’ll Ever Meet, directed and produced by John Houston.
James O’Toole and Terry A’hearn have been producing music together for ten years in the Halifax music scene. Their work has been released by international record labels and broadcast on national television. Their most recent projects include composing music for the independent feature film Bone Cage and the OUTtv series Jumping The Apex.