Johanna studied Spanish and English/American Studies at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and at Universidad de Sevilla. From 2008 to 2011 she was project coordinator in the field of visual arts, film and new media at House of World Cultures in Berlin with a focus on film. She coordinated film festivals such as Première Brazil and Wassermusik and film series accompanying different exhibitions. After moving to Munich in 2011, she worked at Prix Jeunesse International, the oldest children and youth television festival worldwide.
In 2015, Johanna joined the DOK.fest München team. From 2015 to 2018 she was head of the film administration and joined the management board as assistant in 2019. She took on tasks in the areas of partner communication and project coordination. Johanna has been a permanent member of the programme committee since the beginning and is also responsible for the festival venues.