Cinematographer / DP / Director / Photographer

John Donica

Tokyo, Moldova / Japan

Moldovan cinematographer, director and photographer based in Tokyo, working for international and local productions across Japan and Europe. Member of the JSC (Japanese society of cinematographers). Master’s in film directing and editing from the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts (2012); founder of SomniumFilm studio in Tokyo (2018). Documentary and fiction work selected at idfa, Visions Du RÉEL, Busan Isff, DocuArtFest, East Silver and Cronograf. Additional cinematography on the oscar-nominated “instruments of a beating heart” (Ema Ryan Yamazaki). Commercial clients: Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Bbc Storyworks, Microsoft, Nissan, Grand Seiko, Asics, abbott, bvlgari, Tiffany & CO. Films: At the Edge of the Forest (2012), Moments of Silence (2017), Sofa (2017), Steps on the Border (2019), Horses by the Sea (2021), Bonsai Living Art (2024), ogma and Toh, Ti ani Fuji in progress; Kickstarter project “Whisper” with producer-composer Eiji John Mitsuta. Creativepool Annual 2020 Shortlist twice, and a Top 25 Cinematographer ranking there. Also exhibits fine-art photography (1x Photo Awards 2011). Comfortable from one-person shoots to large feature crews. Open to collaborations in Japan and worldwide.