Yolonda Johnson-Young is a director and filmmaker from Philadelphia, PA. Following the tragic loss of her son, Elijah, in 2017 she turned her grief into creative expression through documentary filmmaking. Yolonda honed her skills at Scribe Video Center, where she completed the Film Scholars Program via scholarship in 2018. That same year, she received mentorship and valuable resources during Good Pitch Local, Philadelphia.
In 2019, at the 8th annual BlackStar Film Festival, her directorial debut, Finding Elijah took home the Audience Award. It would be the first of many. Later that year, she was invited to participate in the Cucalorus Work in Progress lab, where she received mentorship from Working Films, had various community screenings, and screened Finding Elijah in the Cucalorus Film Festival. Her award-winning film, focusing on mental health and suicide prevention enjoyed a multi-year international festival run. As of 2024, Finding Elijah will screen in a special 5th year anniversary MOM Film Fest.
During the pandemic, Yolonda spent three consecutive years on the film screening committee, as a film reviewer for the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival.
As a co-founding member of SIFTMedia 215, Collective, she advocates for Black and Latinx women filmmakers in Philadelphia. Her efforts have been supported by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sundance, Independent Public Media Foundation, Scribe Video Center, Leeway Foundation, Doc Society, Working Films, and Good Pitch Local.