United States / Jan 21, 2022 / Sundance Film Festival (Virtual)
Overall average
5.0/10
Trailer

Videos
Plot
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.
Main cast
Full cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| 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) |
| Frank Falzon | Self - San Francisco Police Dept. (archive footage) |
| Sandra Gin | Self - Reporter (archive footage) |
| Sung Soo Yoo | Self - Defense Committee |
| Richard Kim | Self - Professor, UC Davis |
Genres
Technical details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Original title | Free Chol Soo Lee |
| Original language | English (EN) |
| Spoken languages | English, Español, 한국어/조선말 |
| Production countries | United States of America |
| Status | Released |
| Production companies | XTR, ITVS, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) |
| Official site | fcsl-film.com |
| Release date | 12 agosto 2022 |
| Executive producer | Kathryn Everett, Bryn Mooser, Stephen Gong, Sally Jo Fifer, Andy Hsieh, Lois Vossen |
| Production | Jean Tsien, Julie Ha, Eugene Yi, Jo So-na, Quyên Nguyen-Le, Tammy Chu Tolle, Her Yoon-soo |
| Editing | Jean Tsien, Aldo Velasco, Anita H.M. Yu |
| Cinematography | Vanessa Carr, Abraham Chan, Lou Nakasako, Joel Juárez, Jerry Henry, John Wakayama Carey, Courtney Quirin, Michael Chin, Mike Shum, Colin Archdeacon, Akira Boch, Adam Uyemura, Tijana Petrović |
| Assistant directors | Eugene Yi, Julie Ha |
| Camera operators | Jerry Henry, Michael Chin, Vanessa Carr, Abraham Chan, Lou Nakasako, Joel Juárez, John Wakayama Carey, Courtney Quirin, Mike Shum, Colin Archdeacon, Akira Boch, Adam Uyemura, Tijana Petrović |
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| Additional photography | Vanessa Carr, John Wakayama Carey, Courtney Quirin, Mike Shum, Colin Archdeacon, Akira Boch, Tijana Petrović, Abraham Chan, Lou Nakasako, Joel Juárez, Jerry Henry, Michael Chin, Adam Uyemura |
| Production design | Suki Oh |
| Art direction | Suki Oh |
| Set decoration | Suki Oh |
| Visual effects | Mihye Choi |
| Music | Gretchen Jude, Marc Stewart, Bryan Baeta, Stephen Thorpe, Go Eun-ha, Kim Juhyun, Jae-Hong Moon |
| Sound | Marc Stewart, Gretchen Jude, Bryan Baeta, Stephen Thorpe, Go Eun-ha, Kim Juhyun, Jae-Hong Moon |
| Revenue | 50.083 € |
Release dates
Premiere
South Korea / Oct 09, 2022 / Busan International Film Festival
Limited release
United States / Aug 12, 2022
Theatrical release
United Kingdom / Aug 26, 2022 / 12A
South Korea / Oct 18, 2023 / 12
Digital
Brazil / Oct 07, 2022
TV
South Korea / Aug 23, 2024 / 12 / EBS International Documentary Festival
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