1999 marked Yapo's first outing as a director. His directing debut, the short subject Framed, was nominated for the Deutscher Filmpreis and shown at numerous international festivals.
In 2002, Yapo started working on his first full-length directing work, the thriller Soundless which became a German box-office success in 2004. It also won international critical acclaim.
Yapo's Hollywood directing debut, the drama filmPremonition, starring Sandra Bullock, was released to cinemas in March 2007 and grossed $85 million worldwide.