7.2 / 10(15 votes)IMDb20221h 23m$50K Worldwide GrossUnited States of America

Free Chol Soo Lee

Topics:#prison #death penalty #san francisco, california #political activism #chinatown #wrongful imprisonment #san quentin #korean american #innocent in jail #criminal justice system #racial discrimination #grassroots movement

Synopsis

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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Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes

Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.

Official TrailerOfficial

Type: Trailer • Published 2022-07-20

Top Cast

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Chol Soo Lee

Self (archive footage)

Sebastian Yoon

Narrator (voice)

Voice

Ranko Yamada

Self - Friend; Defense Committee

K.W. Lee

Self - Investigative Reporter

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

Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)

Josiah “Tink” Thompson

Self - Private Investigator

Gail Whang

Self - Bay Area Defense Committee

Jai Lee Wong

Self - L.A. Defense Committee

Mike Suzuki

Self - Bay Area Defense Committee

Me Yea Lee

Self - Mother of Chol Soo Lee (archive footage)

Leonard Tauman

Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)

Tony Serra

Self - Defense Attorney

Stuart Hanlon

Self - Defense Attorney (archive footage)

Streaming onMUBIOpen

Release History & Theatrical Window

World Premiere

Busan International Film Festival

Festival / Special Debut

Theatrical Premiere

August 12, 2022

Wide Cinema Exhibition

Financials & Box Office Performance

Released

Production Budget

Undisclosed

Filming & production cost

Worldwide Gross

$50K

Total global ticket sales

Key Information & Fast Facts

Director: Julie Ha, Eugene Yi
Original Score: Gretchen Jude
Original Title: Free Chol Soo Lee
Country of Origin: United States of America
Spoken Languages: English, Spanish, Korean
Runtime: 1h 23m
Worldwide Gross: $50K
Production Studios: XTR, ITVS, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)

Creative Leadership & Key Crew

Director

Julie Ha, Eugene Yi

Original Score & Music

Gretchen Jude

Film Editing

Jean Tsien, Aldo Velasco

Producers

Kathryn Everett, Sally Jo Fifer, Stephen Gong, Julie Ha, Andy Hsieh

Department Leadership Roster

Julie Ha

Director

Eugene Yi

Director

Jean Tsien

Editor

Aldo Velasco

Editor

Julie Ha

Producer

Jean Tsien

Producer

Eugene Yi

Producer

Jo So-na

Producer

Gretchen Jude

Original Music Composer

Age Classification & Content Advisories

Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.

International Certification Matrix

United Kingdom (BBFC)12A

12 Accompanied — Under 12s must be accompanied by an adult.

Production Stills & Gallery

Official cinematic photography and background stills for Free Chol Soo Lee.

Featured In Curated Collections

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Every MUBI Film

A collection of classic and contemporary films curated by the MUBI platform. MUBI 流媒体平台精选的经典与当代艺术电影合集。 *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#144] Celebration (2007) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-20 07:39:29 UTC+8)*

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