From law to lights, camera, action, Sauda Johnson-McNealis redefining what it means to lead and love yourself out loud with her debut feature film. The powerhouse attorney-turned-filmmaker is making her debut with Love The Skin You’re In, a soul-stirring story that features familiar faces and spotlights healing, heritage, and hope.
Love The Skin You’re In/ Source: Courtesy
Premiering Opening Night at the La Femme International Film Festival in Los Angeles, Love The Skin You’re In is inspired by McNeal’s own journey, explores family, caregiving, and the courage to choose self-love instead.
When Sauda Johnson McNeal first arrived at the University of Southern California to study theater, she envisioned a future shaped by storytelling, but not necessarily by law books or film sets. Yet today, the accomplished attorney is making her debut as a filmmaker, writer, and producer, boldly stepping into a new chapter of creative expression.
“I realized I had an entrepreneurial spirit,” McNeal told BOSSIP. “Acting was my passion, but I also knew it would be challenging to make a living. So I decided to go to law school to empower myself — to be able to finance anything I wanted to do.”
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That decision became the foundation for a life built on self-determination. After opening her first law firm in New York and later relocating to Los Angeles, McNeal balanced her legal career with a calling to tell authentic, emotionally resonant stories; the kind she rarely saw portrayed with nuance in Black families on screen.
“I tried to get my projects financed by others,” she told BOSSIP. “It didn’t happen. So I decided to go against the norm; to invest in myself and believe in myself if I was ever going to get this dream started.”
That leap of faith included crowdfunding and resulted in Love the Skin You’re In, directed by Kenn Michael and produced by Kimberly L. Ogletree.
Love The Skin You’re In/ Source: Courtesy
The raw drama follows Sasha, an acclaimed photojournalist on the verge of a major international award. While Sasha uses her art to uplift overlooked communities, she secretly battles the weight of childhood trauma and an unrelenting need to please everyone.
When her estranged father — played by Obba Babatundé — returns home on dialysis and refuses therapy, Sasha’s world begins to unravel.
Love The Skin You’re In/ Source: Courtesy
Between caring for him, managing increasing demands at her women’s empowerment center (founded by her grandmother and mother), and dealing with a best friend who oversteps, Sasha believes she can handle it all. But when both the center and her career come under threat, she’s forced to ask herself the film’s central question: will she keep sacrificing herself, or finally choose healing and say “no”?
“Part of the story is part of my story,” McNeal told BOSSIP. “When I was in college, I went through some of the same self-injurious behaviors that my character experiences. It came from a lack of self-love. Once I healed, I wanted to create something that would help other Black women — women who look like they have it all together but are really carrying so much inside.”
Love the Skin You’re In doesn’t shy away from tough subjects.
It explores family caregiving, mental health, and the courage it takes to choose self-love, all while challenging stigmas around addiction and healing in Black families. The film stars big names like the legendary Marla Gibbs, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Flor De Alcis, Blythe Howard, Kareem Grimes, Marcus Mitchell, Adilah Barnes, Jacqueline Flemming, and Kyrie McAlpin.
Love The Skin You’re In/ Source: Courtesy
“Marla was incredible,” McNeal told BOSSIP about the icon. “When she took a pause during her lines, someone tried to feed her the next one. She stopped and said, ‘I got this.’ And she did. She came in fully prepared — a true icon.”
McNeal credits producer Kimberly Ogletree, casting director Leah Butler, and her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. sisters for helping bring the project to life.
“Kimberly told me, ‘If you want this to be a classic like Soul Food or Love Jones, you need the right cast.’ And she was right,” McNeal said to BOSSIP. “It really came down to relationships, networking, and sisterhood. So many people believed in me, even when I didn’t have the big budget to match.”
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The film will make its debut on Opening Night at the La Femme International Film Festival in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 16, with a red carpet event at 5 p.m. followed by the screening from 6 to 8 p.m.
Beyond festival accolades, McNeal hopes her story resonates on a deeper level.
“If even one woman watches this movie and decides to go to therapy or realizes she’s not alone, that’s success for me,” she told BOSSIP. “We all go through things, but the message is that you can still thrive. You can still love yourself in the midst of it.”
As she prepares for Love the Skin You’re In to take its next step, McNeal said she’s overwhelmed by gratitude for the outpouring of support and the belief others have shown in her vision.
“Oh, I’m elated and I’m humbled and I’m so happy,” McNeal told BOSSIP. “I already have a couple of people reaching out who are potentially interested in distributing it. I could not have done this by myself — there’s no such thing. Everyone came to the table believing in me, and some even lowered their rates because they knew what this film represents. On the last day of filming, Marla Gibbs came up to me and said, ‘We need more films like this.’ That meant everything. I thank my team, and I’m just so happy.”
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