Local artist to share message in Quebec City

Elmwood

Multi-talented local artist Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill has built a successful career as a filmmaker, poet, artist and advocate for Indigenous and women’s health. That diverse experience led to her being selected as one of six Indigenous young people to speak at the 2025 Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO) National Youth Panel in Quebec City in late October. CANDO focuses on education and professional development for economic development officers working in Indigenous communities or organizations.

Simpson-Yellowquill has plenty to share. During her teenage years, she battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer. A successful student, she soon immersed herself in the arts.

“I am a storyteller through poetry, paint, and film,” the Elmwood-resident said in a recent social media post.

“My poetry is raw and real, my paintings are dreams in colour, and my films hold the stories that need to be told,” she added. “My work has screened across Turtle Island, carrying truth, resistance, and beauty. I walk through life as both a teacher and a student, always open to learning, and committed to passing down knowledge.”

Simpson-Yellowquill also advocates for Indigenous and women’s health. Common threads in her actions include uplifting others and making people feel seen. She said she is inspired by the strength of her communities and the voices still finding their ways home.

“I’m here to honour where I come from and help shape where we’re going, with heart, courage, and a whole lot of fire,” she said.

A message Simpson-Yellowquill will undoubtedly share in Quebec City is of a thriving Indigenous arts community, one she’s helped grow. In the late 2010s, she taught film to teen parents. She then began a career at the National Screen Institute–Canada as a contractor in 2019, working her way up to manager of programs and development within six years.

“I oversee specific training programs at more of an emerging level,” Simpson-Yellowquill explained, adding she works with Indigenous people, newcomers to Canada, women, and non-binary artists. She also devotes her energies to community care programs at the Women’s Health Clinic.

“I’m grateful to meet other folks who are making waves of change within communities,” Simpson-Yellowquill said.

In addition to nurturing filmmakers, Simpson-Yellowquill is helping to train the legion of people it takes to produce a film or television show behind the scenes. She regularly brings in actively working members of the Indigenous arts community to teach lighting, sound, camera, and writing. Artist Madison Thomas recently shared experiences from her career working on shows like CBC’s Heartland.

“She’s great,” Simpson-Yellowquill said. “She talked about directed and ran pitching, directing and camera workshops.”

Simpson-Yellowquill is especially proud when she sees many of her students forging careers in the arts. People who took her classes only a few years ago now return to pass on wisdom to others, growing the community even more.

“I love that full-circle moment,” she said

Somewhere down the line, Simpson-Yellowquill wants to affect change on a political level, whether that be as a city councillor or an MLA. Wherever her future lies, it will continue her community service.