christine thomas yoon

Christine Thomas Yoon is a community filmmaker, educator, and activist living in BedStuy, Brooklyn. Inspired by her previous career in public health, her approach to storytelling is the same as it was in medicine– centering the history and dignity of people, listening more than speaking, and moving towards a place of healing. 

Her time at NYU pursuing her MA in Documentary Film, Activism, & Education planted the seeds for developing a practice where communities can grow and heal together through storytelling.  Her films Ralph & Bug, Stoop Chat with Sweat & Maani, and her work with the archival project “As Quiet as It's Kept" center Black identity and experience within a neighborhood impacted by the effects of gentrification, and the grassroots resistance unifying the community in the midst of this ongoing change. While collaborating with organizations such as the Urban Democracy Lab, Housing Justice for All, and the Foundation for Liberating Minds, she has witnessed the power of capturing stories central to activist movements such as those found in housing rights, educational equity, and liberation theology spaces. Most recently, her work in community impact with the documentary Emergent City has allowed her to see how SunSet Park’s battle against rezoning has stirred the spirits of countless city dwellers to fight back against their own displacement. 

Drawing from Reggio Emilia, Christine’s own approach towards education continues to be rooted in curiosity, empathy, and an open ended exploration of one's environment. Creating films alongside students across different backgrounds and ages, she has found filmmaking to be a magical space where students are able to peer into the heart and humanity of the world in front of them. From documenting climate change in the Himalayas to the sharing importance of green spaces in urban neighborhoods, she firmly believes the stories captured by the young people she meets hold the potential to change our collective future. 

For Christine, the camera lens serves as a continual reminder to see the world through its vast potential for beauty, often through the form of loving others well. Taking up 35mm photography has continued to breathe new life into this outlook on life, as does slow walks through Brooklyn, writing love notes on Substack, and picking up new art forms she’s not very good at, like pottery.