Andrew Johnson

Documentary photographer/filmmaker

Video

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Nationality: Canadian

Biography: Andrew is a Canadian photojournalist currently based in Brazil. His interests are in conflict, polarization in politics, and social inequality.

A short film on the history of a small quilombo community in the hinterland of Bahia state, northeastern Brazil, 2017.

News video showing events surrounding a protest against the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the opening ceremonies held on August 5, 2016.

The opening ceremonies were held in the famous Maracanã stadium in Rio, and were praised as a great success. Meanwhile hundreds of protesters gathered nearby to peacefully voice their opposition to the public funds being spent and corporations benefiting from the staging of the games. The protest began peacefully but military police attacked protesters with batons after they burned a Brazilian flag about a kilometre from the stadium. The crowd was largely dispersed using tear gas and pepper spray and several protesters were injured, including a young woman whose heart stopped from ingesting so much gas. A young man was also arrested by police and taken away without any expressed reason.

Demonstrators were adamant they weren't against the games or sports in general, but were angry about how billions could be spent for 17 days of festivities when public sector wages were unpaid, hospitals and schools in bad need of funding, infrastructure lacking in repair or renovation.

It is estimated that nearly 70,000 people have been evicted from their homes to make way for government sanctioned projects for games since 2003. Some $16 billion have been spent on the Olympics and "legacy" projects and infrastructure which largely benefits the rich and middle class residents of Rio, while the working class and poor suffer from neglect and exclusion. Many can't even afford tickets to the games.

Trailer for mini-doc Laila's Men, about a heroin rehab centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, 2016.

A short news video of the families of victims of a suicide bombing in Kabul.

On the evening of Jan. 1, 2016, 40-year-old Baseer Ahmad, the father of four young girls, was manning the security gate at the Le Jardin restaurant, one of the few establishments left in the city that catered to the dwindling population of foreigners.

It was approximately 9 p.m. Suddenly, without warning, a massive explosion erupted. Glass, twisted metal and ball
bearings ripped through walls, cars and human flesh. Le Jardin burst into flames and the front of the restaurant completely collapsed. The blast killed Ahmad instantly. Dozens more were wounded, many horrifically.

This short video shows the family members of the deceased, who are all too often forgotten in the midst of the statistics and news briefs that come out of Afghanistan.