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Cast
Chol Soo Lee
as Self (archive footage)
Sebastian Yoon
as Narrator (voice)
Ranko Yamada
as Self - Friend; Defense Committee
K.W. Lee
as Self - Investigative Reporter
Jeff Adachi
as Self - Activist
David Kakishiba
as Self - Activist
Jay Kun Yoo
as Self - Chair, Defense Committee
Grace Kim
as Self - Vice-chair, Defense Committee
Warren Furutani
as Self - L.A. Defense Committee
Leonard Weinglass
as Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)
Movie Info & Details
Release Year2022
Runtime1h 23m
LanguageEnglish
Certification12A
GenresDocumentary, Crime
Votes14
DirectorJulie Ha, Eugene Yi
WritersJulie Ha, Eugene Yi
TypeFeature Film
Rating7.2 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsFree Chol Soo Lee
About Free Chol Soo Lee
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.
Directed by Julie Ha, Eugene Yi, Free Chol Soo Lee leans on a strong ensemble — Chol Soo Lee, Sebastian Yoon, Ranko Yamada — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2022.
Read More on the Blog
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