Meet YDA Student Filmmaker Taylor Saulsbury

By the time summer rolled around and Taylor Saulsbury was ready to participate in YDA’s 2020 summer program, the COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings didn’t faze her much.

“It was disappointing,” the 16-year-old Palmer High School student said, “but because of school being online I was already impacted, so it was nothing new.” The (YDA) group met mostly via Zoom with once-a-week meetings meeting following social distancing guidelines. While it may not have affected her attitude, COVID-19 provided the impetus for her film which addresses how the pandemic affects youth activism.

“I’ve been involved with activism in our local community since last year,” she said, “so I was personally affected.” Among the causes she cares deeply about are climate change, environmental and human rights issues. “I miss the community I was involved in, learning about other people and trying to make a difference. The pandemic has made it harder to this, but filmmaking is a form of activism.”

“I wanted to tell the story of how other young people involved in activism are being affected. And what they’re doing,” Her film reveals both the constraints but also the advantages young activists have in virtual and online spaces. Her film includes interviews with 18 and 20 year olds. She said even though they’re all female, the group is diverse. As far as getting their stories on film, she admitted, “Because of COVID it wasn’t easy. Some were not in-state so we did Zoom interviews. It was a lot of uncharted territory.”

Taylor said she plans to pursue filmmaking, with an emphasis on documentaries. “My dream job is to be a cinematographer for a nature show,” she said. “This would be my own form of activism.”

Of her experience with YDA, Taylor said,” It was one of the most amazing opportunities. It’s the chance to make and tell stories, and improve as a filmmaker. YDA makes it easier to tell stories that should and need to be shared.”