June 2004
 Producer,
actor, and educator Yvonne Russo (Sicangu
Lakota) was raised on the Rosebud Reservation in South
Dakota and lives in Los Angeles. Russo works for the Owens Valley
Career Development Center's Film & Music Program, hosting
12-week video production workshops for Native youth. She was producer
of True Whispers, a feature documentary about World War
II Navajo Codetalkers, directed by Valerie Red-Horse. In 2001,
Russo participated in the Sundance Institute Producers Lab, and
she has also attended the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Los Angeles.
She is a member of the board of directors for the Producers Guild
of America (AP) and serves on their diversity committee. Russo's
stage experience includes lead roles in the Los Angeles-based
Hudson Theatre Company productions of Those the River Keeps
and Butterflies Are Free.
"Life is my passion! I feel that every moment is a captured
image. Our daily lives are like movie scenes and we are the writer
and director. I enjoy people and stories in general and absorb
every ounce of what an individual shares with me. I like to take
life's art and translate that to moving images. What I love about
producing is bringing the team together as well as seeing a script
from paper to screen. That's one of the most exciting things about
being a producer. I also love working with creative people. My
favorite mantra is "Life is a visual manifestation of the
invisible workings of the mind." With your mind you create
the world around you. Make it the best it can be!"
Screened by NMAI
Image credit:
Yvonne Russo - courtesy of the filmmaker
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