“The work that we do here... it’s about obliterating your Self”

Written and Directed by BRIAN DANIEL JOHNSON
97 minutes (incl. credits)
Digital Super16 2K - DCP - 1.66:1
Stereo Mix 2.1 - English

LOGLINE:
‘A Welcome Distraction’ follows Ernest Prinze, a man in his late 20s, who avoids confronting his family in the wake of a tragedy. This avoidance leads him to meet ‘The Search’, an alternative wellness group in Vancouver, that is showing early signs of cult-dom.

Filmed between February 2023 and March 2024, ‘A Welcome Distraction’ is a micro-budget indie feature which will have its world premiere at the 44th annual Vancouer International Film Festival, playing October 9th and 12th, 2025.

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TRAILER: COMING SOON

written and directed by BRIAN DANIEL JOHNSON
produced by DIDE SU BILGIN and MADDY CHANG
starring SIMON FARRELL, MADISON ISOLINA, LIAM McCULLEY, and ADRIANA MARCHAND

cinematography by ANDRIY LYSKOV
edited by SAM MOHSENI
with score composed by ZACHARY TREBLE (Z.D.B.T.)
Featuring the music of BRENNAN DOYLE (Your Friend Brennan) and NICK McCLURG

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TEAM:

Brian Daniel Johnson
writer, director

Brian Daniel Johnson is a writer and director based in North America. He is known for his music video work with Vancouver artist Haley Blais, as well as his short films After Dinner (2020) and Side Walks (2022), the latter of which received a healthy festival run, including a nomination for ‘Best of BC’ at the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival. He now works as a film editor and short story writer, in addition to his directorial pursuits. A Welcome Distraction marks Brian’s debut feature film, which he made alongside his beloved, well-established team of collaborators.

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Dide Su Bilgin
producer

Dide Su Bilgin is a Turkish-American filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. A graduate of UBC’s Film Production Program, she hosted the Vancouver Turkish Film Festival in 2018 and earned her first producing credit with Breakaway (CBC Gem, 2019). In 2022, she was selected for VIFF’s Catalyst program, followed by the inaugural Composer Filmmaker Accelerator, where she recorded original compositions with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Her short Just Me and the Dogs (2024) premiered with live accompaniment at the VIFF AMP closing night. Dide Su was featured in Filmable’s “Hot Seat” as one of the filmmakers redefining West Coast storytelling. She has directed music videos for acclaimed artist Haley Blais and worked as a first assistant director on celebrated Canadian-American films that have screened at top festivals including TIFF, Cannes, Berlinale, SXSW, AFI, and Whistler.

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Maddy Chang
producer

Maddy is a Chinese-Canadian Producer and Production Coordinator based in Vancouver, Canada. She is a strong believer in creating spaces that allow underrepresented communities to tell their stories creatively and unapologetically. She received her BFA in Film Production from The University of British Columbia in 2020. Her experience includes narrative short films, music videos, commercials, and documentaries. She started her producing journey with the TELUS Storyhive short documentary, In a New Light. Since then, some producing highlights include 100 DAYS, a narrative short that was a part of Telefilm’s 2023 Not Short on Talent cohort at the Cannes Short Film Corner, FRESH CATCH, a 60-minute documentary for CBC’s Absolutely Canadian program, and UNION STREET, a Telus Originals feature documentary. Currently, she is a Senior Production Coordinator at the National Film Board of Canada.

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Andriy Lyskov
cinematographer
associate producer

Andriy is a Ukranian cinematographer currently based in Vancouver, Canada. Andriy is known for his short film, music video, commercial and documentary work. His experimental documentary A City Soundscape premiered in Vancouver in 2023, with a live orchestra accompaniment, performing an original composition written for the film. The film captures the collision of nature and industry in Vancouver, and draws a beautiful connective thread between the two poles. Andriy produces work reflective of his intrepid, energetic spirit. A Welcome Distraction marks Andriy’s fourth collaboration with Brian in the cinematographer/director roles. 

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Sām Mohseni
editor

Sam Mohseni is a writer-director and film editor currently based in Toronto. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from the University of British Columbia. Born and raised in Iran and coming from a musical background, Sam pursued filmmaking after emigrating to Canada.

During his undergraduate studies in the Film Production program at UBC, Sam made two short narratives, 'Saida' (2018) and 'Poplife' (2019), both of which dealt with issues of immigration and identity in North America. 'Saida' was an award nominee for Best National Film at the University of Winnipeg Film Festival 2018 (UWpg), and 'Poplife', a music-driven drama, was an official selection at Vancouver Short Film Festival 2020 and MENA Film Festival 2020.

'Maple at Night' (2018) is a short cultural documentary Sam made in China in two weeks as part of Looking China Filmmaking Project which turned out to be a Golden Lens Award winner for Best Film in 2018, the year he was also the recipient of North Shore Studios Scholarship in Film Production.

'Persian Blue' (2021), Sam’s intimate short film about his mother, a Persian Carpet artist, was an official selection at Whistler Film Festival in 2021 among other festivals in North America and Europe including MENA Film Festival, Chagrin International Documentary Film Festival, and Venice Intercultural Film Festival.

Sam was one of the selected participants in the 2019 edition of Vancouver International Film Festival’s Mentorship Program which provided him a major insight into Canada’s film industry. He was also the recipient of the H. Norman Lidster Prize in Documentary Filmmaking in 2021 for his short documentary 'Persian Blue' (2021) and again in 2023 for his first feature documentary, 'Persia and I: Restoring the Visit'.

His first feature film, 'Persia and I: Restoring the Visit' (2025), is an experimental documentary on war, cinema, and cultural identity and produced with the support of the BC Arts Council. He is currently in post-production for his second feature documentary, 'Highway 1'. In addition to his filmmaking activities, Sam is a part of the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Short Forum programming team, and he is currently a graduate student at York University in Cinema & Media Studies.

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Full Credits:

written and directed by
Brian Daniel Johnson

produced by
Maddy Chang and Dide Su Bilgin

executive producer
Mike Johnston

associate producer
Simon Farrell
Andriy Lyskov

1st assistant director
Dide Su Bilgin
Jacob Pascoe

2nd assistant director
Sahil Arya
Derek Kwan
Justin Lee

additional photography by
Ben Dawson

first assistant camera
John Fleming
Valeriya Khan
Shiun Okada
Jamie Mitri
Pato Cartas
Simon Yong
Scarlett Felix
Luke Strahm
Tahlia Hunt
Marco Piscil
Taitania Higuchi

second assistant camera
Jack Bailey
Nathalie Taylor
Lula-Belle Jedynak
Scarlett Felix
Roshan Beaven
Amé Simard

camera trainee
Nikolay Zhukov

digital image technician
Glink Bruscino

thank you
CHRIS SHELDON
PETER HAGGE
DYLAN COOPER
RAMI MIKHAIL
BRENDAN MEGANNETY
DAN AMOS
MIKHAEL GASTER
JORDAN FINDLEY
TOM BLACK
CHRIS CHECKWITCH
RACHEL DUNN
JENNY LEE-GILMORE
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
ETHAN GLENWRIGHT
JACK BAILEY
COURTENAY McLEOD
FRANCIS ROGERS
MACK STANNARD
SHIRLEY VERCRUYSSE
KAY RONDONNEAU
SAM - NOOR CONVENIENCE
LUXURIOUS UPHOLSTERY
CHEHALIS BAND STORE
OSCAR VARGAS
JACOB PASCOE
ROONEY & PIPPA
JEREMY COX
ROBBA DA MATTI
DEREK KWAN
FRONT ROW INSURANCE
DAMLA & METIN BILGIN
LINDA & BRAD JOHNSON
ASHLEY JOHNSON
TOM CHANG & GRACE LAI
STEPHANIE CHANG
TREW AUDIO
CAMP LUTHER
NIKI JANZEN
ANN MITCHELL
GEOFF MANTON

gaffer
Agustin Little
Justin Uitto
Michael Heaton
Dani Billington 
Flourine Broucke  

key grip
Paula Lara
Octavia Johnson

best persons
Diego Mareli
Ben Dawson

grips
Kalib Furlong
Nicholas Mackenzie
Nikolay Zhukov
Artem Lykhonin
Jack Gibbons
Clara-Marie Nowicki

production designer
Clara Salameh

art director
Clara Salameh
Dide Su Bilgin
Tiffany Lau

art assistants
America Arrieta
Berfİn Yıldız
Larissa Santos

prop builder
Brendan Megannety


graphic artist
Dide Su Bilgin

costumes
Amber Smith

location sound recordist
Myles Regnier
Coby Degroot
Heraldo Abreu
Nina Lee
Ethan Volberg
Ayana Madi

key makeup artist
Lampo Zeng

craft services
Maddy Chang
Damla Bilgin

cast
SIMON FARRELL
MADISON ISOLINA
LIAM McCULLEY
ADRIANA MARCHAND
DREW CARLSON
TOM BLACK
CHAD TANNER
DREW OGLE
MAYA HARB
KIMBERLY HO
CERA RIVERS
CONNOR RIOPEL
ISABEL HANSEN
CASSANDRA PHILLIPS-GRANDE
TIRION JONES
TATENDA HATUGARI
ERIC LAING
BENNETT TAYLOR
JANA RANKOV
RILEY DAVIS

background performers
YAMA ALOUSIZ
LARISSA SILVOS
AMÉRICA ARRIETA
BRENNEN LITTLE
JORDAN JOHNSTON
DAMIAN BRANDENBURG
DEE FEINTLER
EMMA ENG
CHRIS CHECKWITCH
ERIN PURGHART
GREG SCAMAN
DIDE SU BILGIN
KARTHIK KADAM


edited by
Sam Mohseni

composed by
Zachary Treble

featuring the music of
Nick McClurg
Brennan Doyle

sound designer
Brian Daniel Johnson

re-recording mixer
Oscar Vargas 

visual effects artist
Ernest Hart

colour and finish by
El_Patrogas

end credits by
Dide Su Bilgin

songs
‘KEEP GOING’
Written & Performed by Brennan Doyle
Courtesy of Your Friend Brennan
Album ‘DREAM HALL’ 2024

‘I LOVE YOU’
Written & Performed by Brennan Doyle
Courtesy of Your Friend Brennan,
Album ‘DREAM HALL’ 2024


‘THE MORNING AFTER’
Written & Performed by Nick McClurg
Courtesy of Nick McClurg


‘AND THE AFTERNOON’
Written & Performed by Nick McClurg
Courtesy of Nick McClurg


‘AMERICAN HIGHWAY’
Written & Performed by Nick McClurg
Courtesy of Nick McClurg