2013
T.C. Johnstone | Filmmaker, Rising From Ashes
It is probably not uncommon that most successful filmmakers begin their journey in a very unlikely way. That is certainly true of our 2013 Spirit of Windrider Award winner, T.C. Johnstone.
T.C. first explored the idea of becoming a filmmaker over 10 years ago when he took a class in Theology and Film at Fuller Theological Seminary in Colorado from Professor Craig Detweiler, one of co-founders of the Windrider Forum. T.C. was a youth worker for Young Life living a charmed life in a resort community in Colorado. Craig challenged T.C. to make the risky move to L.A. to get his feet wet and see if he couldn’t find a place in the industry.
After producing his first feature, an unlikely project with a group of high school students in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, he moved to Santa Monica, California, and began working as a Director of Photography and documentary director on a wide variety of projects ranging from national television (ABC, CBS, NBC, Discovery, CNN) to independent films.
He also landed a unique opportunity which eventually led him to Rwanda. T.C. was asked to become the videographer for Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Community Church. “T.C. has literally traveled the globe with me recording amazing stories of the church,” states Warren. “I consider him to be one of the finest young producers of his generation. He has an ability to capture and interpret stories in a powerful and compelling way.”
It was during one of his trips with Warren to Rwanda that TC was first introduced to Jock Boyer and the Rwandan cycling team. Rising From Ashes is the feature-length documentary about two worlds colliding when cycling legend Jock Boyer moves to Rwanda to help a group of struggling genocide survivors pursue their dream of a national cycling team. As they set out against impossible odds both Jock and the team find their journeys to be linked in surprising ways as they rise from the ashes of their past.
Work on the Rising From Ashes project spanned more than seven years, culminating with some final scenes from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. It has had a very successful festival run in the fall of 2012, taking home awards from a number of festivals. And, the team of filmmakers often remind viewers that it is not just about the bike. The bicycle became a tool that has changed a nation and launched a non-profit, Project Rwanda.
Rising From Ashes will be screened at the closing event for the 2013 Windrider Forum at the Sundance Film Festival followed by a Q&A with T.C. and Producer, Greg Kwedar. T.C. will also receive the Spirit of Windrider Award at that event which is open to the public at no cost. The Rising From Ashes screening will take place on Saturday, January 26th, 6:30-9:00pm, at the LDS Stake Center, 2300 Monitor Drive, in Park City, UT. There is no cost for the event which is open to the public.
T.C. currently focuses on independent documentary feature films. With a passion for transformative stories and world issues, T.C. began writing and directing films with redemptive themes. The vision was simple, allow audiences to dream. He believes a well-told story can be the catalyst for change. T.C. is focused on five strategic areas: reconciliation, leadership, poverty, health care and education. He believes these issues affect us all and we are all part of the solution.
