John Martin
Affiliations
Links to Work
Bio
John Martin is a Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker and producer originally from Cape Town, South Africa. He works across documentary, corporate, and branded content, with a focus on character-driven observational storytelling that has taken him from the ice fields of Norway to the workshops and studios of Vancouver's Granville Island.
His documentary Under the Ice — a short film about South African athlete Amber Fillary's Guinness World Record ice swim and her parallel battle with severe depression — is currently on the international festival circuit. He is developing a slate of short documentary portraits about remarkable people who live and work in Vancouver, including films about a female firefighter pioneer, an Armenian artist-blacksmith, and a master coffee roaster.
John is a member of the International Documentary Association, Film Independent, the Documentary Organization of Canada, the Documentary Filmmakers Association, and an affiliate member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. He holds Transport Canada Advanced and EASA European drone licences and operates Sony Cinema Line cameras and DJI cinema drones. Martin Media is based in Vancouver, BC.
Projects
Under The Ice
A short documentary following South African athlete Amber Fillary's attempt to break a Guinness World Record by swimming beneath the ice of a frozen Norwegian lake — and the two-year personal journey of depression, failure, and recovery that surrounds it. Currently on the international festival circuit.
The Crystal S
A short documentary about the restoration of a 1963 wooden gill netter at Britannia Shipyards in Richmond, BC. The film follows master craftsman Dave Sharp's painstaking work to bring the vessel back to life, and the emotional connection of the boat's owner, Bud Sakamoto, whose family history is bound to the Crystal S across generations. Post-production complete.
