After completing her doctoral thesis on Rainer Werner Fassbinder at the Slade School of Fine Arts, University College London, Sheila Johnston was a founder-journalist for The Independent, for which she covered film for ten years. She has written on the arts for the Daily Telegraph, the Evening Standard, The Times, Sight and Sound, the New York Daily News, Interview magazine and other British and American publications as well as for websites such as screenonline.co.uk and theartsdesk.com. Her publications include a monograph on Wim Wenders (British Film Institute) and a biography of Keanu Reeves (Sidgwick and Jackson / Pan). She also co-authored the BFI's Cinema Book, a definitive guide for film studies teachers, and has lectured on cinema and popular culture for institutions including the British Council, the British Film Institute and the Open University.