Yolanda Ramke is an award-winning screenwriter and director. Having worked for several years behind-the-scenes in the Australian film and television industry, Yolanda first found success in 2013 with the short film, Cargo (which she wrote, and co-directed with Ben Howling). A viral hit online, the film garnered over 20 million views on YouTube, rave reviews from pop culture websites such as Short Of The Week, Upworthy, BuzzFeed and i09, and an international festival run.
Two years later, Yolanda's screenplay for the feature adaptation of Cargo was announced by Australians In Film as the inaugural winner of the Gateway LA Script Prize (Australia's answer to the Black List). That same year, she secured her first Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) and Australian Directors' Guild (ADG) nominations for the short film, Cold Hearts (co-written and co-directed with Danielle Baynes).
In 2016, Yolanda made her feature directing debut (alongside Howling) with their expanded take on Cargo, produced by AACTA award-winner Kristina Ceyton (The Babadook) and Samantha Jennings (Causeway Films), Mark Patterson, and US producers Russell Ackerman and John Schoenfelder (Addictive Pictures). Starring BAFTA and Emmy Award winning actor, Martin Freeman, the film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and blazed a trail as the first Australian Netflix Original feature film.
Cargo was nominated for five Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts (AACTA) awards, including Best Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was recognised by the Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA) with five award nominations, three Film Critics Circle of Australia award nominations, and two Fangoria Chainsaw award nominations (including Best First Feature). Yolanda went on to win her first Australian Writers' Guild (AWGIE) award for Cargo in the Feature Film - Adaptation category.
In 2019, Yolanda travelled to Vancouver to co-direct two episodes of The Haunting Of Bly Manor, the follow-up to hit Netflix series, The Haunting Of Hill House, created by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Fall Of The House Of Usher). Upon release, the series topped Nielsen's global streaming charts.
Since returning to Australia, Yolanda has won her second Australian Writers' Guild (AWGIE) award for Telemovie or Miniseries (4 Hours Or Less) as a member of the writing team on SBS' New Gold Mountain.
Yolanda has also served as creator, executive producer, and as a writer and co-director on Troppo, inspired by the novel Crimson Lake, by New York Times best-selling author, Candice Fox. Starring Thomas Jane (HBO's Hung) and Nicole Chamoun (SBS' Safe Harbour), the series aired on the ABC in Australia, and is currently streaming internationally on Amazon and Viaplay. With the launch of its second season, Troppo ascended to the #4 spot on Prime Video's "Top 10 Most Watched TV Series" in the US.
Yolanda is currently in development on a slate of new projects, including the original feature film, Swept.