Sentenced to life for a 1973 San Francisco murder, Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was set free after a pan-Asian solidarity movement, which included Korean, Japanese, and Chinese Americans, helped to overturn his conviction. After 10 years of fighting for his life inside California state prisons, Lee found himself in a new fight to rise to the expectations of the people who believed in him.
The Filmmakers
Julie Ha’s storytelling career spans more than two decades in ethnic and mainstream media, with a specialized focus on Asian American stories. She was former editor-in-chief of KoreAm Journal, a national Korean American magazine. Free Chol Soo Lee, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, is her first documentary film.
Eugene Yi is a filmmaker, editor, and writer from Los Angeles. His editing work has been in Berlinale, TriBeCa, and The New York Times. He was a contributing editor for KoreAm Journal, a national Korean American magazine.
Su Kim is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy®️ and Peabody Award-winning producer. Her films in release include Bitterbrush; the OSCAR®️ and Primetime Emmy®️-nominated Hale County This Morning, This Evening; and Midnight Traveler.
Jean Tsien is a documentary editor, producer, and consultant. She received two Peabody Awards in 2021: for executive producing the PBS series Asian Americans; and for producing 76 Days, winner of a 2021 Primetime Emmy®️. She has received Sundance Institute’s 2018 Art of Editing Mentorship Award and DOC NYC’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sona Jo produces feature documentaries about conflict, war, trauma, and women. Her films include 206: Unearthed, winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 2021 Busan IFF, and Coming To You, winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 2021 Jeonju IFF. She is a board member of the Korean Independent Producers & Directors' Association.
A/V Geeks * AP Archive * Budget Films LLC * Buyout Footage * California State Archives * Center for Sacramento History, KCRA TV and KOVR TV Film Collection * Phillip Cha * Christopher Chow * Classic Images Stock Footage LLC * Sacramento Union Newspaper Records, Special Collections, UC Davis Library * Inventory of the K.W. (Kyung Won) Lee Papers, Special Collections, UC Davis Library * Colorsport / Stewart Fraser * The CONUS Archive * Grant Din * eFootage.com * Footage File, LLC * Sandra Gin * Stuart Hanlon * Huntley Film Archives LTD * Inside Chinatown, Urban Educational Films, Michael Chin * Scott Johnson * David Kakishiba * Alice Kim * Do Kim * Elaine Kim * Grace Kim * Richard Kim * Kinolibrary * KPIX * KRON * The K.W. Lee Center for Leadership * Chang Lee * K.W. Lee * Library of Congress * MBC * National Archives * Nichi Bei Weekly * Oddball Films * Penn Museum Film Archives, Watson Kintner Collection * Periscope Film * Petrified Films via Getty Images * Patrisia Prestinary * RStock / Pond5 * VelvetMemories / Pond5 * vintagestockshooter / Pond5 * Private Collection of Helen Zia * Reuters via British Pathé * Sacramento Public Library * Vincent Maggiora / San Francisco Chronicle / Polaris * John O'Hara / San Francisco Chronicle / Polaris * San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library * Grace Yoo Archival Collection, Asian American Studies, San Francisco State University * Wes Senzaki/Japantown Art and Media Workshop * Bay Area Television Archive, San Francisco State University * Streamline Films, Inc. * Benjamin Stone, K.W. Lee Collection, Stanford University * Josiah “Tink” Thompson * Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA * Unity Archive Project * University of California Regents * USGS * Visual Communications *Wetdryvac / Alamy Stock Photo * Gail Whang * The WPA Film Library * Jai Lee Wong * Ken Yamada * Ranko Yamada *Jay Kun Yoo
Additional Materials Provided By
ABC * CBS News * Christian Herald / Courtesy of USC Korean Heritage Library * Christopher Chow * Columbia Pictures * Bob Hart / YouTube * Hokubei Mainichi * Housewife’s Life * Koreatown * KTVU * Media Hoarder * Napa State Hospital * The Oakland Tribune * Sacramento Bee * Sacramento Union * San Francisco Chronicle * San Francisco Examiner
Songs
“YOU’RE STILL A YOUNG MAN”
Written by Stephen Kupka, Emilio Castillo
Published by Stephen Kupka Songs [ASCAP], Arikat Music [ASCAP]
Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [ASCAP]
Performed by Tower of Power
Courtesy of Warner Records
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
Performed by Siu Wai Anderson, Sam Takimoto, Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, Peter Yoshiro Horikoshi, Duke Santos, Jeff Adachi
Courtesy of Jeff Adachi
“FROM THE ROOFTOPS” and “HORCHATA”
Performed by The Funk Ark
Written By Robert William Rast
Courtesy of Marmoset Music
“HULLUCINATIONS”
Courtesy of APM Music
"MONGUMPO"
Composed and Performed by Dohee Lee
Inspired by “Mongumpo” Korean folk song
Recorded by Flytrap studio
Courtesy of Dohee Lee
Production Assistance Provided By
International Documentary Association (IDA)
K.W. Lee Center for Leadership
Gotham Film & Media Institute
BAVC Media
Points North Institute/Tribeca Film Institute/CNN Films
Free Chol Soo Lee Funding Provided By
Just Films | Ford Foundation
California Humanities
Better Angels Society
Asian Women Giving Circle
UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Original Series Funding Provided By
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Acton Family Giving
Ford Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Wyncote Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
FREE CHOL SOO LEE is a co-production of CHOL SOO LEE DOCUMENTARY LLC, ITVS, and THE CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA (CAAM), with funding provided by the CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (CPB), in association with XTR.
This program was produced by CHOL SOO LEE DOCUMENTARY LLC, which is solely responsible for its content.