There is a wealth of great queer movies out there, but regrettably few of them feature women of color in prominent roles—and even fewer have one queer woman of color falling in love with another. But this Pride Month, musician and writer Hayley Kiyoko’s directorial debut, Girls Like Girls, is filling that gap with aplomb.

Girls Like Girls, which is based on Kiyoko’s hit single and best-selling YA book of the same name, tells the story of Coley, a shy high school student who moves to a small Oregon town after her mother’s death and soon falls for local queen bee and dance-team star Sonya, reveling in their slow-burn romance as much as it does in the stunning natural landscape of rural Oregon.

This week, Vogue spoke to Kiyoko about working with stylist Avigail Collins on a custom look for the film’s Los Angeles premiere, her dreams of continuing to direct while scoring her own films, and making the love story she wishes she’d seen growing up.

Vogue: What was it like watching Girls Like Girls in theaters this week?

Hayley Kiyoko: It was so, so cool. I had never seen the movie on that big of a screen before, so that was really overwhelming. It’s been a very surreal experience, going from working on something for 10 years to going to the premiere to the movie being in theaters tonight.

Can you tell me about the amazing look you wore to Monday’s LA premiere?

We actually made the look custom with my stylist Avigail Collins. I have this song on the soundtrack called “Periwinkle Princess” and I haven’t worn periwinkle, so we were like, Maybe we should make some kind of periwinkle princess dress, and I loved it. I did feel like a periwinkle princess, for sure.

What was it like to step into the role of director on this project?

It felt like I was finally coming home. I think I realized that I’ve been a director my whole life, just storytelling and world-building, and I have worked so hard to get to the point of having this opportunity. Women of color only represent 5% of the industry as directors, so before you even begin trying to pitch your story, there’s a massive mountain to climb. It has been a hard climb, but it’s also been so rewarding because representation is so vital. If I was able to buy tickets to see a movie like this [growing up] and to see an actress that looked like me and felt like me, it would have been life-saving, and it would have definitely changed the trajectory of my relationship with myself and identity and self-love.

Did you have a “queer root” movie, for lack of a better term?

I honestly felt a lack of representation in that way, and I think that’s why I was always motivated to fill up that space. I think the first movie I watched was A League of Their Own with Tom Hanks; it wasn’t queer, but there were definitely queer elements to it, and that was the first time I watched a film that gave me that sense of comfort. Honestly, though, I couldn’t tell you a single film that I was able to put on and be like, Oh, that’s my experience.

The chemistry between Maya Da Costa and Myra Molloy in this film is just incredible. What was the process of finding those actors like?

We had over 4,000 auditions sent in! I was in New York when we got the first round of audition tapes, and the very first tape I watched was Maya Da Costa’s audition. She was so awkward and quirky, and it was the scene where she’s in Sonya’s bedroom, and I just immediately saw myself in her. There was something so fascinating about her, and I was like, Oh, I would want to watch this person for 90 minutes. So we brought her back for Coley, and then Myra—who auditioned for Coley initially—I brought her back as Sonya, and we did a chemistry read with the two of them.

It was a parking lot scene that they did, and I forgot we were even in the audition. I felt like I was watching the movie of my dreams, and that’s when I basically knew. I think they did such a wonderful job supporting each other; they were very demanding roles to take on. This is Maya’s first film and I’m just so proud of what they were able to accomplish. On a movie like this, where you have 23 days and you have 10 minutes to shoot a really emotional scene, it’s not easy to do what they were able to pull off.

This film conjures such a vivid sense of place. What was on your mental—or physical—mood board to make the audience feel like they were in rural Oregon circa 2006?

When I fell in love with my Sonya, it was 2006, so a lot of 2006 references were in my brain; my bedroom, my crushes, all these things. When I would build my pitch deks and mood boards, it was so hard to find references, and it was a constant reminder throughout the 10-year journey of how important this film was, because I couldn’t find two POC girls falling in love. I was inspired by Place Beyond the Pines—I love that film, I love the nature, I love the grand feeling and the negative space. I love Carol, and I think they did such a great job with that film. It wasn’t necessarily hopeful, but it definitely felt authentic. I also think Close was a really great and well-done film. As a director, you’re just trying to put the pieces together to be able to say, Okay, this is what this world is going to be, and obviously, there’s only so much you can control. Once you get on set, you have to be really good at communication, teamwork, making sure the heads of department understand what we’re trying to achieve.

How are you celebrating Pride as a queer first-time director?

I mean, it’s Girls Like Girls summer. [Laughs.] I’ve waited 10 years for this moment. I hope I can bring this film to so many other territories and places around the world. All of us deserve to feel seen and represented on the big screen and to be able to buy tickets and see a film with our community, so my goal beyond the release is to be able to [create] more accessibility for representation like this. I love directing. I feel like I finally found a thing that I want to do forever, while also writing music for those projects. I want to create hopeful queer content and be able to list 10 movies off the top of my head that I felt super-seen by in a theater.

This conversation has been edited and condensed.