Quick stats about the movie
- Director:
Vanessa Matsui, Jenna Wright, Liane Balaban - Genre:
Documentary - Year:
2010 - Duration:
2:34 - Language:
English - Province:
QC
Johanna is the story of actress Johanna Nutter’s first period.
As a shy girl raised in small town Quebec, Johanna just wants a discreet first period. Instead her hippie mother invites all her girlfriends over to celebrate.
The film was recorded in Montreal for Crankytown.ca, an interactive site about menstruation for tweens.
The puppets were designed by Jenna Wright and built by Jenna Wright, Vanessa Matsui, Liane Balaban and Vanessa Butler. Photography by Ian Macmillan.
Creative team
Directors: Vanessa Matsui, Jenna Wright, Liane Balaban
Producers: Kat Baulu, Paulina Abarca-Cantin
Personal statement
The filmmakers say:
“Johanna is part of Crankytown.ca, an interactive camp dedicated to tween girls encountering their first period.
The aim of Crankytown is to dispell the taboo surrounding menstruation, and to get girls sharing their period stories in fun and creative ways.”
About Vanessa Matsui, Jenna Wright & Liane Balaban
Jenna Wright, Vanessa Matsui, and Liane Balaban first collaborated as improvisers at Montreal’s Theatre Ste. Catherine.
Jenna is also an award-winning costume designer, Vanessa is an award-winning director, and Liane is an award-winning actress. For more information about each woman visit them on the web: Jenna Wright, www.partos.com, Vanessa Matsui & Liane Balaban.