Ines Johnson-Spain

Ines Johnson-Spain is an independent East-German/Togolese filmmaker based in Berlin.
She studied Sciences of Religions at Free University Berlin and was a guest student for Fine Arts, Painting and Film History at University of Arts Berlin.

She worked for many years as a scenic painter and in various positions of the art departments of national and international film-productions.(e.g. Peter Greenaway, Anders Thomas Jensen, Lana Wachowsky and Andrej Swjaginzew).

Since 2003 she writes and realizes films, with a focus on documentary form.

Her work centers on intimate portraits that explore the notion of self and affiliation in a complex way. More recently she directed the film „L‘Esprit de Madjid“, about a young gay man from Togo who is a follower of Voudou and relates to himself through his spirits.

The autobiographical film „Becoming Black“ is her first feature length film.

Her works have been screened at prestigious national and international film festivals and exhibitions and has been awarded with grants like the Villa Aurora Artist-Residency in Los Angeles in 2023.

She teaches Scenic painting at Film University Babelsberg and is a member of different film-jurys. She pursues teaching assignments on autobiographical film at various national and international universities.