Meet Leah Yi | Diva & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leah Yi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leah, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The community you surround yourself with will make or break how far you go for yourself and others. In every aspect of my life, my friends have been the key to my success. In a time when I feared not having a roof over my head – worried sick about sleeping in my car – my friends were the ones who jumped in without hesitation. And in times where I am given the opportunity to move further up the chain in my career, I give and share without a thought in mind – I share the wealth!
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The film industry is not an easy path that one chooses. It dies and becomes dry. At times, you worry it’ll never come back, but it always does. The moment it comes back to life, you are reminded of why you went into it in the first place: the people. Being in film is simply hanging out with your friends in 10 to 16 hour increments for three months, doing meetings every other day, taking phone calls in the dead of night and early morning – in the middle of birthday parties even – fighting, arguing, making up, and pushing forward because it’s what you love to do. You’re surrounded by brothers and sisters alike with the same goal in mind. You all want to create something beautiful, to uplift a voice, a story, and an image. Those same people go above and beyond not only for the picture but for you too. Our souls are tied together into one film, and I think that is something special. Having a sense of camaraderie and a chosen family takes you far. And when you succeed you take them with you because that’s just what you do.

Though you could do things for the love of the game, why do your career for stability when you can stumble and fall with your friends!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
If you spoke to anyone who knows me personally and asked what I do for fun, they’d tell you all I ever do is work. Whether it be in my day-to-day job at the movie theater to doing my dream job of being an Assistant Director, I put my absolute all into everything I do. When I have a job, I never do it halfway; I put my all into it. I overload my schedule for more than just the money, I do it for experience and the love I have for the opportunities that come my way.

As a director, I definitely set myself apart from the others around me. In the few times I decide to develop a script into reality, it never has had a clear purpose or point in mind. I write stories that are directly from my life. It is up to the viewer to take from my writing and apply it to their own experiences. For example, ‘Lone Flower’ was a film I wrote and directed in 2024. It was the first film I directed. The first crew I was ever responsible for. At a time I faced a close and personal death in my life, I turned my grief into something that you could watch and listen to. A raw time in my life. Although it was one of the most painful experience I’ve faced, me and my childhood friend’s friendship is something that will live on forever. Most recently, I directed a film this past year, ‘Match.’ A romance film about the difference between awkward and mutual silence. The film was taken from a small moment I experienced in real life. That moment was replicated in the film beat for beat; to the feelings I had in at the time, to a physical prop that was used the moment it all happened. I am not afraid to make the films that are so closely related to me. If I am writing what is the most true to me, I have no reason to hide who I am and what I’ve been through. I like to look back on the films I direct as a personal diary – they’re so closely related to my life, that I can feel everything I felt the moment I wrote the script.

How I got to be the filmmaker I am today was during the making of an upcoming feature film set to premiere in January 2026, ‘Love & Madness.’ The feature was made at a time when my path in film was unclear: did I want to be a Writer? Director? Maybe a Gaffer? I was offered to be the Costume Designer and I wouldn’t take it back for the world. I put parts of myself into each character, seeing myself in what was written before me – it is an out-of-body experience to watch those characters work and move in the clothes you put them in. In the midst of preproduction and production, I then became a Producer and 2nd 2nd Assistant Director. Was it too many jobs to take on? Yes! But that film, cast, and crew have my heart forever, and I’d do it all again without fail.

I’ve learned to say yes and be my most authentic self. Even if a project comes at the most inconvenient time in life, just do it. You never know who you’ll meet on each set you step foot on. Those who do not accept you are not for you. They missed an opportunity to meet their next best friend, a chosen family member.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I will always and forever be an Atlanta local in my heart! A place I love to write and get work done is Cafe Lucia in Downtown Atlanta, as well as Carroll Street Cafe in Cabbagetown. An area I enjoy hanging around as a whole is Little Five Points – it’s a perfect place to shop, eat, hang out, go to a concert, and drink with friends! These are some of my favorite spots, places I am able to write the best of the best scripts, and some are the ones that brought the fondest of memories.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be the person I am without the efforts and strong role models I have in my family. My mother taught me independence and confidence; my father gave me the resilience and strength to keep moving forward; and my dearest sisters showed me the kindness and selflessness I carry day to day. Whether I get to the lowest of lows or the highest of highs, they are there every step of the way.

Another group of people I’d like to dedicate this to are the people I am privileged to call my friends. There are so many to sort through, but to my personal cheerleaders, ‘GLAMKCA’ (a group comprised of our names: Giovanni, Leah (me), Abby, Michelle, Katelyn, Chloe, and Ari), they are my driving force, the constants in my life that make me want to be a better friend every single day.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lleahforreall/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lleahforreall

Image Credits
Maddie Cobb
Chrysander Mandragora
Andy Park