Peter Johnston on Golden Harvest:

North Lansing Against the World

Peter Johnston, director of Golden Harvest: North Lansing Against the World won the Best Documentary and Audience Choice awards at the 2009 Riverside/Saginaw Film Festival.

I thought Golden Harvest did such a great job of high-lighting a passionate community. Where are you from originally?

I’m from Alma, right in the middle of Michigan.

How did you find the Golden Harvest restaurant?

It’s kind of one of those places where if you’re new to the area, friends will ask if you’ve been to “the harvest”.  People feel that they’ve stumbled upon it and are proud.  I went to eat there and was like “This place is really cool.” and you don’t find many places like it.

What gave you the idea to make a documentary about the restaurant?

After eating there a few times, I had wanted to include a larger look at this neighborhood in Lansing.  The town is going through a sort of rebirth.  It’s still climbing and growing and there are some cool things going on in the neighborhood, Old Town.

This film was made for a class, correct?

Yes. I’m a graduate student at MI State and in my documentary class; we made one short and one feature length documentary.

I heard you had a three-person crew.

Yes. The whole production was three people and actually, we’d often go with just two people.  One person would do camera work and one person would do the sound and conducts the interviews.

What was the most surprising to you about making this documentary?

I think what surprised me, in a good way, was how welcoming and well spoken the owner was.  He wasn’t a typical business owner and he wants to make sure the restaurant has a good atmosphere.

I thought if they expanded, it would still be huge and they’d double their business.  But there is an x factor of having smaller establishments and maintaining standards.

Did making this documentary in such a public space require many permits?

We had a talent releases and interview releases but no location releases.  The music was all freely licensed.

How many festivals did you submit this film to?

Right now, we are waiting to hear from a few more. The Riverside/Saginaw Film Festival is the first we submitted the film to.  I would like to get supplemental material together to show what happened during the fire the Golden Harvest went through and extend the documentary.  That was the one part I wished we could’ve fleshed out in time for festival submissions.

Was this the first year you attended the Riverside/Saginaw Film Festival?

I had a fiction piece in the festival last year. I made the trip back from Chicago to attend.  It’s a small festival and I really appreciate the fact they’re trying to keep it going.  The board members all seem so dedicated and that was impressive to me.

How did it feel to win at Saginaw?

It felt really good.  I’m glad because you get so close to your film and sometimes, you can take it for granted.

Did you know any of the other short filmmakers?

My brother, Joe Johnston, had a fiction piece called Fatima’s Ghosts.  I was the cinematographer and editor for that piece.  He and I had always been interested in film and recently started to create together.  He’s ten years older than I am and we’re finally at the same maturity level.

What were some of your favorite shorts at the fest?

There was another student of mine from where I T.A. who did International Affairs. I thought it was very tight and polished.

Do you have any plans to make some new documentaries?

I’m part of team making a doc about the Arab/Israeli conflict and how it’s reflected in the media.  It’s pretty much finished and we’re submitting it to festivals now.  We’re also going to try and see if it can get picked up by PBS.

Will you always do your film productions in Michigan?

I can see working in Michigan for a while.  There’s a lot of optimism around the incentives and I’m hopeful they will continue.  I live in Lansing and my brother lives in Detroit.  I don’t necessarily have a strong drive to go to LA.  There’s something about Michigan; it’s on a downswing, but I’m hopeful people will make movies here.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to make movies in Michigan?

There’s a lot of local collaboration and writing groups to get involved in. I know my friends in Kalamazoo have weekly meetings with people writing and sharing scripts.  One woman from the Riverside/Saginaw Film Festival board gave me a card about a filmmaking co-op and I think they work together on different shoots. Sometimes people start out with these great stories and try to make their production a one-man band.  Collaboration is key.

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