Icelandic-Canadian director Matt Johnson screens Anthony Bourdain film

Director Matt Johnson, whose family has Icelandic roots, has recently attracted attention in the film industry, according to mbl.is. His film Tony, about the early life of chef and food personality Anthony Bourdain, was shown at a special screening at Laugarásbíó cinema on Monday evening.

This was the second time the film had been screened in Iceland. It is unclear whether it will be shown there again, as it has not entered general release. The film is produced by A24.

Johnson is from Toronto, Canada, while his family traces its roots to Winnipeg and, further back, Iceland. He has described himself as half Icelandic and half Finnish; his mother is Finnish.

In a recent interview with Maclean’s, Johnson discussed how his father’s family had lived in extreme poverty in Iceland before moving to Thunder Bay, near Winnipeg. His father grew up after the family had spent some time living in Winnipeg.

Johnson also described this background on a podcast hosted by comedian Stavros Halkias, who appears in Tony. He said his Icelandic grandfather was a newspaper worker, although he did not provide further details.

Johnson said his father grew up in an “Icelandic town” in Canada where many Finnish people also lived. The main source of employment was logging for low wages.

Johnson has also directed the comedy series Nirvana the Band the Show, which he produced with his friend Jay McCarrol. The series was made on a limited budget, but its creators’ inventiveness helped it gain attention.

The film Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie, set in the same fictional world as the series, was released last year and was well received. In an interview with Dazed, it was described as a cult film to see in 2026.

Johnson also directed Blackberry, a 2023 film about the history of the mobile phone of the same name. It received a positive response.