Johnson Cheng’s films have screened at international film festivals such as Locarno, Toronto, Tribeca, and AFI FEST, where his short films won the Audience Awards in 2020 and 2021. As a DGA television director, Johnson was brought on by Destin Daniel Cretton to direct on the first season of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE (Disney+), a genre-hopping action-comedy series starring Oscar-winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. Johnson went on to direct multiple episodes of the Chicago-set drama THE CHI (Paramount+ SHOWTIME), most recently returning to direct on the seventh season.
Johnson’s short films, shot in the U.S., China, and Japan, include ONLY THE MOON STANDS STILL (Locarno, Tribeca, AFI FEST), LONELY BLUE NIGHT (AFI FEST, HBO APA Visionaries), IRON HANDS (Toronto, Tribeca), and A STORY OF DIVINE WIND (Beyond Fest).
Johnson is an alumnus of the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Film at Lincoln Center NYFF Artists Academy, Film Independent Project Involve, Indeed Rising Voices, and the DGA DDI Mentorship Program. He is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award (Cary Grant Film Award), the HBO APA Visionaries Award, and was invited to serve as a jury member for AFI FEST in 2022. Johnson teaches at Columbia College Chicago as an Asst. Professor of Instruction in Directing, having previously taught at Pomona College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, and Columbia University.
Johnson holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing/Screenwriting from Columbia University's Graduate Film Program, where his thesis film won the CUFF Best Film Award. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Johnson is repped by WME.
