Leah Mahan began working on documentary films in 1988 as a research assistant on the PBS series Eyes on the Prize: America at the Racial Crossroads. In 1996, she and co-producer/director Mark Lipman completed Holding Ground: The Rebirth of Dudley Street. The award-winning documentary chronicles the twelve-year struggle of local residents to transform the most devastated Boston neighborhood into a vibrant community. Holding Ground received major funding from the Ford Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation and aired on public television in 1997.

The Independent Television Service provided funding for Mahan’s Sweet Old Song, a documentary about Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, a 91-year-old African American fiddler who undertakes a bittersweet journey with the woman he loves. Sweet Old Song aired on the PBS series “P.O.V.” in 2002 and in 2003 it was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement by the Directors Guild.

Mahan is currently working on a documentary (Turkey Creek) about a Mississippi community founded by former slaves that is threatened by urban sprawl and environmental contamination. She holds a BA in anthropology from Cornell University.