About Johnny Ma
Born 1982. Johnny Ma is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.
Johnny Ma (born Ma Nan, in Shanghai) is a Chinese-Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his debut feature film Old Stone, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2016. The film won the awards for Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, and Best First Feature at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017. His second feature To Live To Sing premiered at the Director's Fortnight Section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
Early life Ma moved from Shanghai to Toronto, Ontario with his family when he was 10 years of age. He attended the University of British Columbia, and was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards.
Filmography
Ma contributed a short film to the Netflix series Homemade, released in June 2020. Set in San Sebastián del Oeste, Mexico, the short is centred around a letter Ma writes to his mother, voiced over in Mandarin.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Johnny Ma's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Johnny Ma?
Chinese-Canadian film director
When was Johnny Ma born?
Johnny Ma was born in 1982 in Shanghai.
What is Johnny Ma's occupation?
Johnny Ma is a film director and screenwriter.
What nationality is Johnny Ma?
Johnny Ma is Canadian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Johnny Ma. https://biography.guide/johnny-ma/
MLA: "Johnny Ma." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/johnny-ma/.
Chicago: "Johnny Ma." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/johnny-ma/.
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