ACTOR . WRITER . CRAFTER . BAKER
Born in Los Angeles, Jeena now calls New York City home. When she’s not diving into a character on stage or screen, you can usually find her either writing or buried in a craft project while baking something sweet in the oven.
Always curious. Always tinkering.
“Ms. Yi’s voluble, high voltage performance is the play’s chief delight”
“Yi has timed all of her comic beats to perfection. She is the rare performer who can be serious and funny at the same time”
“...With her bright eyes and sunrise smile, she has charisma for days...”
what’s new?
Catch Jeena in THE BEASTIARY, premiering at Ars Nova this fall
Medieval meets modern in The Beastiary, a twisted comedic puppet pageant of consumption, corruption, and the end of human-kind.
Jeena’s play, JESA just had its first workshop with Ma Yi Theater Co. in NYC.
Stay tuned for whats next!
NYAD currently streaming on NETFLIX
Jeena stars as Dr. Angel Yanigahara alongside Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in Jimmy Chin & Chai Vasarhelyi’s debut narrative feature, NYAD.
A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship, and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad. Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110-mile trek from Cuba to Florida, referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, Diana goes on a thrilling four-year journey with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.
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Take Me Home
Anna is an adult with an Cognitive Disability living with her mother in Midland Florida. When her mother is unresponsive, she calls her sister for help, but without the language to be believed, Anna is brushed aside.
Emily returns home and is immediately engulfed in a futile struggle for medical information, while Anna’s world is deconstructed. In this sadness, Anna sees the bigger picture and with a straightforward strength, Anna holds her own. The uncertainty for the sisters’ future independence remains but they are now a team against all odds.
“Yi never takes Emily to a place of unlikable frustration, and Emily’s love for Anna rings true even with the slightest glance or smile.”
-Awards Daily
Official Selection: Sundance Film Festival 2023, SXSW 2023, SBIFF 2023, Champs Elysees Film Festival, Palm Springs Int’l Short Fest
TAKE ME HOME will be part of the 2023 Sundance Short Film Theatrical Tour
VIMEO Staff pick, Click here to watch!
want to know more?
RESUME
photos by Matthew Dunivan