Biography

Originally from South Africa, Yolandi Franken is a Sydney-based producer who have been working in the industry since 2001. She produced four feature films, two TV series and a two-part documentary series, as well as countless shorter format stories, music videos and TVCs.

Her productions have been accepted and awarded at numerous prestigious film festivals, including the Melbourne International Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival, Santa Monica International Film Festival, Montreal International Film Festival, Cannes Short Film Corner, Palm Springs International Film Festival, among many others.

Her works have received theatrical distribution and worldwide digital distribution on platforms such as Amazon Prime, Tubi, Google Play, Apple TV, Foxtel, Hulu, and more.

Yolandi's film Streets of Colour was nominated for AACTA and SPA awards in 2024, and Carmen & Bolude was the only Australian film among the 41 films accepted into the 2021 Ontario Creates International Financing Forum (IFF) at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

She is the former NSW Board Member and Secretary of WIFT (Women in Film & Television) Apart from her duties on the board, she is involved in organising face-to-face and virtual events and workshops with industry leaders, educators, suppliers, funding bodies and guilds.

She is the creator of the Cause Film Festival, which she ran for several years before passing on her role as Festival Director. She has been a guest teacher at Bus Stop Films, AFTRS, Sydney Film School, and SPA Masterclasses, and has spoken on various panels, including those at SXSW, Sydney Film Festival, and the Parliament House of NSW. Yolandi frequently appears on podcasts, mainly addressing equality and diversity in the film industry and reporting on her experiences with her latest film "Carmen & Bolude," in which the production successfully implemented innovative strategies to promote equal opportunities for all screen practitioners and work-life balance within the industry.

Seasonally, she also works as a producer at the prestigious producer's conference, "Screen Forever" hosted by Screen Producers Australia. Yolandi was nominated as Australian of the Year in 2015 for her work in the community. She is a NSW Justice of the Peace and has worked all over the world, including in China, Hong Kong, South Africa, India, the Dominican Republic, and the USA.

- IMDb mini biography by: Yolandi Franken