Yolonda Johnson-Young
Yolonda Johnson-Young is a Philadelphia, PA native director and filmmaker. She began learning documentary filmmaking in 2017 after receiving a full scholarship to attend Scribe Video Center's inaugural Film Scholar program, supported by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences.
In 2013, she earned a degree at Pierce College in entrepreneurship, and through her hard work and dedication; she merited induction into Delta Mu Delta, the National Honor Society for business degrees holders. Yolonda also received both the ’18 Leeway Art and Change Grant and a ’19 Window of Opportunity grant to further her filmmaking efforts.
In 2018, Good Pitch Local Philadelphia, a Doc Society event, invited Yolonda to pitch her film project, Finding Elijah. She returned to GPL Philadelphia in 2020 to pitch her latest project, Another Life - A Black Family in WITSEC (aka the federal witness protection program). Yolonda also received a 2019 Philadelphia Independent Media Finishing Fund grants to complete post-production work on Finding Elijah.
Her first short documentary, Finding Elijah (2019, 25 mins); is a multiple award winning short documentary that has screened in over 20 festivals since August 2019 and in 2020 made its regional broadcast premiere on WHYY TV, Philadelphia's public broadcast station. In 2019, Yolonda became a founding member of a WOC film collective. SIFTMedia215 is a support system of several independent media artists who work in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and provide a community of support for socially conscious women identified filmmakers. The goal at S.I.F.T. Media is to amplify the work of and create opportunities for Black and Latinx Women content creators.
Awarded Grants
2024
Window of Opportunity Grant (WOO)
Related grantees
Overview
Yolonda Johnson-Young has the opportunity to attend the Toronto International Film Festival in September. This opportunity will allow her to gain invaluable knowledge about the film industry that will aid her in continuing making impactful art that speaks to and for those whose voices may have been silenced, especially in regards to facilitating conversations around mental health and suicide prevention. The film festival will also provide opportunities for networking and career development.
The WOO Grant will assist with the cost of the conference pass and flights, as well as travel, accommodation, and meal costs, while in Toronto.
2020
Art and Change Grant (ACG)
Related grantees
Overview
Yolonda’s Another Life is the 1st short film in a docu-series about her life living under the protection of the U.S. Marshals in the Witness Security Program (WITSEC) from 1977-1979. Using memories, photographs, archival footage, and interviews, Yolonda will share her story to connect with others that have similar lived experiences, exploring how secrecy and isolation can affect a child's mental health into adulthood.
Partner
2019
Window of Opportunity Grant (WOO)
Related grantees
Overview
Yolonda Johnson-Young’s short documentary film, Finding Elijah, has been accepted as an official selection at the Ocktober Film Festival (OFF) in Brooklyn, New York. This WOO Grant will be used to cover travel and logistical expenses related to screening and attending this festival. OFF provides access to numerous educational workshops that will further her insight, knowledge, and networking within the business of filmmaking – skills she seeks as a non-traditional filmmaker. Screening Finding Elijah at OFF is an opportunity for Johnson-Young to share the film, not only increasing her visibility as an artist/cultural producer, but also furthering the collective dialogue about the stigma concerning mental health issues and ways to help prevent suicide.
2018
Art and Change Grant (ACG)
Related grantees
Overview
Told from a mother’s perspective, Finding Elijah is a documentary film that follows a young man’s journey from home into mental illness, homelessness and ultimately suicide, using interviews, archival footage and original art and photos. It explores how a search for answers leads a mother to action. The film will be used as a teaching and healing tool to assist individuals and families affected by loss through suicide.
