Yousef Assabahi is a Yemeni writer and director based in Los Angeles. His work explores the place of memory, imagination, and work of culture in sites of ruin and exile. In 2018, he graduated from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television with an emphasis on Directing. Influenced by neorealism, his upcoming film attempts to capture Yemeni traditions of orality and spontaneous poetics as expressions of the self. In 2020, Assabahi returned to his hometown in Ibb, Yemen to produce a short film exploring the rich and historical architecture of his neighborhood that is at risk of demolition due to the absence of state governance. While in Yemen, he also wrote and directed television commercials that draw on Yemeni customs and cultural imagery, involving local untrained actors. Amongst his early work is a fictional film, A Patriot Act, which captures the struggles of an undocumented FBI informant; his ambivalence and involvement in an entrapment case, showcasing the power dynamics between the state and vulnerable communities that internally shatter social relations. After graduating, Assabahi participated in the highly selective Gold Program with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, receiving enhancement training from top industry professionals. Working between Yemen and Los Angeles, Yousef continues to write and strive to tell stories.