Yasmin Ahmad was born in Muar, Johor. She studied in Newcastle University, England where she majored in politics and psychology. Before becoming a filmmaker, she was a trainee banker as well as a blues singer and pianist. She began her career in advertising as a copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather before moving to Leo Burnett in 1993. She thrived in Leo Burnett where most of her petronas commercials were made and eventually rose to become the executive creative director at the Kuala Lumpur branch.

Yasmin is considered to be a controversial filmmaker as she openly tackles issues such as racism that is apparent in Malaysia but is rarely discussed. Her film's constantly stepped over the boundaries of religion and ethnicity to highlight the "real" issues that Malaysians experience. She does not regard herself as a filmmaker but more of a story teller. As seen in the video above, she talks about what she believes makes a film. . She speaks about writing feelings rather than thoughts. She writes her films (stories) based on the things that she has observed. Throughout her filmmaker career, she constantly pushes herself and her films to talk and showcase controversial topics such as intimacy (both sexual and non-sexual), interacial marriage and the overlapping of religion. 

Despite having a modern and open way of thinking, Yasmin Ahmad never compromises on showcasing the different cultures in Malaysia. She tries to abolish the "race" of a person and stips them down to being human like everyone else thus making everyone equal. Her notion of love is challenged in every film that she makes. Love for a spouse, a man (who you are not allowed to fall in love with) and for a higher being. Her films are also based on her own life. She herself married a chinese man thus we see a parallel in Orked and Jason which is brought forward in Muallaf to push further the notion of love for God. Furthermore she specifically wrote and filmed Rabun based on her parents' relationship. Her films are also mainly shot in Ipoh where she says that race does not seem to be an issue there.