Free Chol Soo Lee

Free Chol Soo Lee

7.3

2022-08-12

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.

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Free Chol Soo Lee

Storyline

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.

Released

2022-08-12

Runtime

83

Director

Julie Ha

Budget

$0

Revenue

$50083

Genres

Documentary

Crime

Language

English

Production

XTR

ITVS

Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)

Casts

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    Chol Soo Lee

    Chol Soo Lee
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    Sebastian Yoon

    Sebastian Yoon
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    Ranko Yamada

    Ranko Yamada
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    K.W. Lee

    K.W. Lee
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    Jeff Adachi

    Jeff Adachi
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    David Kakishiba

    David Kakishiba
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    Jay Kun Yoo

    Jay Kun Yoo
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    Grace Kim

    Grace Kim
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    Warren Furutani

    Warren Furutani
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    Leonard Weinglass

    Leonard Weinglass
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    Josiah “Tink” Thompson

    Josiah “Tink” Thompson
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    Gail Whang

    Gail Whang
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    Jai Lee Wong

    Jai Lee Wong
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    Mike Suzuki

    Mike Suzuki
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    Me Yea Lee

    Me Yea Lee
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    Leonard Tauman

    Leonard Tauman
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    Tony Serra

    Tony Serra
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    Stuart Hanlon

    Stuart Hanlon
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    Frank Falzon

    Frank Falzon
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    Sandra Gin

    Sandra Gin
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    Sung Soo Yoo

    Sung Soo Yoo
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    Richard Kim

    Richard Kim