Sicangu Lakota

Yvonne Russo is an award-winning director, producer, and writer working across film, television, and animation. A Humanitas Prize winner and recipient of Outstanding Achievement in Producing from First Americans in the Arts, she has also received grants from The Redford Center and 4th World Media. Russo has delivered keynote talks at the United Nations and Salesforce’s Office of Equality & Engagement on preserving endangered Indigenous languages. A proud member of the Sicangu Lakota Tribal Nation, Russo’s work centers on elevating underrepresented voices and bridging past and present through story.

Her latest feature documentary, VIVA VERDI!, which she directed, wrote, and produced, offers an intimate portrait of celebrated opera singers living their “third act” while mentoring young musicians at Casa Verdi in Milan. The film premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival, screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and was selected for Hot Docs Doc Soup. It opened theatrically at Laemmle Monica Film Center in 2025 and continues to expand to new platforms. It was nominated for an Oscar in 2026 for BEST ORIGINAL SONG.

Russo also directed and produced the acclaimed Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae for Onyx Collective / Hulu, earning a 2025 Humanitas Award. Additional credits include serving as Production Advisor on Woman Walks Ahead, and writing, directing, and producing Minnie’s War Bonnet for PBS, now widely used in K–12 education.

As an independent producer, Russo has worked in more than 17 countries. Her credits include The Rescuers: Heroes of the Holocaust, which received a NAACP Image Awards nomination, and extensive work with National Geographic, producing over 30 episodes of Most Amazing Photos and more than 75 “Behind the Photo” segments.