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Free Chol Soo Lee

Free Chol Soo Lee

AUG 12, 2022 · 83 MIN · DIR. EUGENE YI

DocumentaryCrime

On June 3, 1973, a man was murdered in a busy intersection of San Francisco’s Chinatown as part of an ongoing gang war. Chol Soo Lee, a 20-year-old Korean immigrant who had previous run-ins with the law, was arrested and convicted based on flimsy evidence and the eyewitness accounts of white tourists who couldn’t distinguish between Asian features. Sentenced to life in prison, Chol Soo Lee would spend years fighting to survive behind bars before journalist K.W. Lee took an interest in his case. The intrepid reporter’s investigation would galvanize a first-of-its-kind pan-Asian American grassroots movement to fight for Chol Soo Lee’s freedom, ultimately inspiring a new generation of social justice activists.

Cast

  • Chol Soo Lee

    Self (archive footage)

  • Sebastian Yoon

    Narrator (voice)

  • Ranko Yamada

    Self - Friend; Defense Committee

  • K.W. Lee

    Self - Investigative Reporter

  • Jeff Adachi

    Jeff Adachi

    Self - Activist

  • David Kakishiba

    Self - Activist

  • Jay Kun Yoo

    Self - Chair, Defense Committee

  • Grace Kim

    Self - Vice-chair, Defense Committee

  • Warren Furutani

    Self - L.A. Defense Committee

  • Leonard Weinglass

    Leonard Weinglass

    Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)

  • Josiah “Tink” Thompson

    Self - Private Investigator

  • Gail Whang

    Self - Bay Area Defense Committee

Crew

Editor

Aldo Velasco

Editor

Jean Tsien

Original Music Composer

Gretchen Jude

Producer

Eugene Yi

Producer

Julie Ha

Producer

Jean Tsien

Producer

Jo So-na