Q&A with director/producer Yvonne Russo and executive producer Simone Pero

Wednesday, May. 6 2026, 7:00

• Yvonne Russo is an award-winning director, producer, writer, and accomplished storyteller working in film, television, and animation. Her accolades include a Humanitas Award, a win for Outstanding Achievement in Producing from First Americans in the Arts, a recipient of both The Redford Center Grant and Nia Tero Foundation Grant, and serving as keynote speaker at the United Nations Human Rights and Salesforce’s Office of Equality & Engagement on preserving Indigenous endangered languages. A proud member of the Sicangu Lakota Tribal Nation, Russo has worked throughout her career to elevate underrepresented voices through storytelling, bridging past and present with compelling narratives that inspire and educate. She is an active member of the Directors Guild of America, BAFTA, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the Producers Guild of America, where she previously served on the Board of Governors. She is also a longtime member of SAG-AFTRA, and served on the Board of NYWIFT. Her most recent work includes directing and producing for the four-part acclaimed ONYX Collective/Hulu docuseries, Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae, for which she won a 2025 Humanitas Award.
• Simone Pero is an Emmy-nominated film producer and the Founder and President of For Impact Productions, a social impact consultancy for creatives of all mediums. Pero’s portfolio includes acclaimed films Lilly starring Patricia Clarkson distributed by Netflix and Blue Harbor Entertainment, Academy Award nominated (Best Original Song) VIVA VERDI! and The Tale starring Laura Dern distributed worldwide by HBO Films. She also consulted on The 2025 Humanitas Prize Winner Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae documentary-series by Yvonne Russo and the documentary Steal this Story, Please! directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. Today, Pero advises artists through her signature program Artists for Impact™. Pero is on faculty with the Stony Brook University Killer Films MFA in Film & TV Writing and serves on the President’s Council of New York Women in Film & Television. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America, BAFTA North America, the Television Academy, Women Independent Producers and the Global Impact Producers Alliance.

Tickets: $20 (members), $25 (nonmembers)

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