The Television Critics Association awards nominations went public Friday, and it was great news for some series and sad news for others.
The Last of Us, The Bear, and Succession are in a three-way tie with five nominations apiece.
All three shows were expected to get some awards love, so their performances here are not surprising.
The Bear has been a bonafide hit for FX and Hulu, but there were some more first-year shows in the mix, too.
Andor, Jury Duty, Shrinking, Interview With the Vampire, and Poker Face were all well-represented.
Somewhat surprising: Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were shut out.
The news comes after both series have been big hits on the awards front and could set a precedent for upcoming awards shows.
Awards will be handed out at an in-person ceremony on August 7, 2023.
Check out the complete list of nominations below.
Individual Achievement In Drama
Christine Baranski,...
The Last of Us, The Bear, and Succession are in a three-way tie with five nominations apiece.
All three shows were expected to get some awards love, so their performances here are not surprising.
The Bear has been a bonafide hit for FX and Hulu, but there were some more first-year shows in the mix, too.
Andor, Jury Duty, Shrinking, Interview With the Vampire, and Poker Face were all well-represented.
Somewhat surprising: Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were shut out.
The news comes after both series have been big hits on the awards front and could set a precedent for upcoming awards shows.
Awards will be handed out at an in-person ceremony on August 7, 2023.
Check out the complete list of nominations below.
Individual Achievement In Drama
Christine Baranski,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
The final seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and (maybe-probably) Ted Lasso got the cold shoulder from the Television Critics Assoc., which honored the Emmy-winning pair with a total of zero TCA Award nominations.
By contrast, Succession‘s swan song scored a leading five nods, putting the Roy family in a three-way tie with fellow HBO drama The Last of Us and Hulu’s breakout hit The Bear.
More from TVLineDid The Bear's Christmas Wear You Out? Will Witcher Recast Wreck Chemistry? Justice for Jonathan Kent? More TV Qs!TVLine Items: The Bear Season 2 Ratings, Book Club Sequel on...
By contrast, Succession‘s swan song scored a leading five nods, putting the Roy family in a three-way tie with fellow HBO drama The Last of Us and Hulu’s breakout hit The Bear.
More from TVLineDid The Bear's Christmas Wear You Out? Will Witcher Recast Wreck Chemistry? Justice for Jonathan Kent? More TV Qs!TVLine Items: The Bear Season 2 Ratings, Book Club Sequel on...
- 6/30/2023
- by Team TVLine
- TVLine.com
The Award-winning PBS documentary series “Independent Lens” has released its spring slate of documentary films, which will begin debuting on April 24. This season’s films will highlight a myriad of marginalized communities and current affairs by documenting both personal and important stories from around the world.
First to debut is documentary film “Free Chol Soo Lee” from filmmakers Julie Ha and Eugene Yi. The Sundance favorite uses archival material to travel back to 1970’s San Francisco and tell the story of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant who was wrongfully convicted of murder, and the Asian American activist movement that sought to free him.
Following is Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green’s film “Matter of Mind: My Als”, which will premiere May 1. The documentary tells the story of three people in the U.S. living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Reed Harkness’s film “Sam Now” premieres May 8, and shares the...
First to debut is documentary film “Free Chol Soo Lee” from filmmakers Julie Ha and Eugene Yi. The Sundance favorite uses archival material to travel back to 1970’s San Francisco and tell the story of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant who was wrongfully convicted of murder, and the Asian American activist movement that sought to free him.
Following is Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green’s film “Matter of Mind: My Als”, which will premiere May 1. The documentary tells the story of three people in the U.S. living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Reed Harkness’s film “Sam Now” premieres May 8, and shares the...
- 3/30/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Julie Ha and Eugene Yi's Free Chol Soo Lee is now showing exclusively on Mubi in many countries—including the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, and Turkey—in the series Viewfinder.The seeds of this film were planted in December of 2014, at the funeral of Chol Soo Lee, though we didn’t know it at the time. One of the directors was there to write an obituary for a magazine, but she also wanted to comfort her longtime journalism mentor, K.W. Lee. It was his series of stories that had helped launch a landmark social movement to free Chol Soo Lee from prison 40 years earlier. K.W., who had become a father figure to Chol Soo, never expected to outlive him and was in terrible anguish.He was joined at the modest Buddhist funeral by a few dozen people; many of them were the activists who...
- 10/7/2022
- MUBI
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
’80s Horror
While the new release horror offerings are lacking this month, leave it to The Criterion Channel to deliver the ultimate series for the season. ’80s Horror features a great number of classics and underseen titles, including films by John Carpenter (Prince of Darkness), Tobe Hooper (The Funhouse), David Cronenberg (Scanners), Michael Mann (The Keep), and Paul Schrader (Cat People), along with Wolfen, The Slumber Party Massacre, Near Dark, Vampire’s Kiss, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and many more. Get ready for some thrills.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Atlantis (Ben Russell)
Piecing together a whirlpool of shimmering images from a trip to Malta, experimental filmmaker Ben Russell raises the fabled utopian city of Atlantis from the sea. Russell’s...
’80s Horror
While the new release horror offerings are lacking this month, leave it to The Criterion Channel to deliver the ultimate series for the season. ’80s Horror features a great number of classics and underseen titles, including films by John Carpenter (Prince of Darkness), Tobe Hooper (The Funhouse), David Cronenberg (Scanners), Michael Mann (The Keep), and Paul Schrader (Cat People), along with Wolfen, The Slumber Party Massacre, Near Dark, Vampire’s Kiss, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and many more. Get ready for some thrills.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Atlantis (Ben Russell)
Piecing together a whirlpool of shimmering images from a trip to Malta, experimental filmmaker Ben Russell raises the fabled utopian city of Atlantis from the sea. Russell’s...
- 10/7/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month and amongst the highlights are Martine Syms’ The African Desperate, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s Free Chol Soo Lee, Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Earwig, plus films from George A. Romero, Dario Argento, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Thomas Vinterberg, Nanni Moretti, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1 – Goodnight Mommy, directed by Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 2 – Van Gogh, directed by Maurice Pialat | I Don’t Like You Either: A Maurice Pialat Retrospective
October 3 – The Great Buster: A Celebration, directed by Peter Bogdanovich | Portrait of the Artist
October 4 – Invisible Demons, directed by Rahul Jain | Viewfinders
October 5 – Pulse, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 6 – Diary of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero | George A. Romero: Double of the Dead
October 7 – Free Chol Soo Lee, directed by Eugene Yi,...
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1 – Goodnight Mommy, directed by Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 2 – Van Gogh, directed by Maurice Pialat | I Don’t Like You Either: A Maurice Pialat Retrospective
October 3 – The Great Buster: A Celebration, directed by Peter Bogdanovich | Portrait of the Artist
October 4 – Invisible Demons, directed by Rahul Jain | Viewfinders
October 5 – Pulse, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 6 – Diary of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero | George A. Romero: Double of the Dead
October 7 – Free Chol Soo Lee, directed by Eugene Yi,...
- 10/1/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
By Glenn Dunks
Whether he liked it or not (most certainly the former), Chol Soo Lee was a pivotal figure in the history of the Korean people within the United States—as well as for the broader Asian community. His name came to symbolise many things, most significantly the inherent racism of anybody who wasn't white that was found within the justice system. His story was a tragic one, struggling as he did to overcome the lasting effects of what happened to him. But his plight as a man wrongly jailed for a crime he didn’t commit brought Asian and Asian-American people together and to the political forefront in ways that meant things wouldn’t be the same ever again.
In Free Chol Soo Lee, Julia Ha and Eugene Yi’s quietly damning documentary about his life inside prison, we get to reflect on a case that many may...
Whether he liked it or not (most certainly the former), Chol Soo Lee was a pivotal figure in the history of the Korean people within the United States—as well as for the broader Asian community. His name came to symbolise many things, most significantly the inherent racism of anybody who wasn't white that was found within the justice system. His story was a tragic one, struggling as he did to overcome the lasting effects of what happened to him. But his plight as a man wrongly jailed for a crime he didn’t commit brought Asian and Asian-American people together and to the political forefront in ways that meant things wouldn’t be the same ever again.
In Free Chol Soo Lee, Julia Ha and Eugene Yi’s quietly damning documentary about his life inside prison, we get to reflect on a case that many may...
- 9/1/2022
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
In 1973 Chol Soo Lee, a 21-year-old Korean immigrant, was wrongfully incarcerated for the murder of a Chinatown gang leader. He became a symbol for systemic injustice against Asian Americans and spurred solidarity within his community. His prison memoirs have been adapted into a book and his case inspired the 1989 drama film “True Believer.” But his life — what happened before and after he became famous for his imprisonment — was far from a Hollywood fairy tale.
In the documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee,” first-time doc directors Julie Ha and Eugene Yi use archival materials in an attempt to present their tragic hero in all three dimensions. Despite their efforts, Soo Lee feels just out of reach, but the story of his life remains as important as it is horrifying.
The film opens by explaining the crime and how Soo Lee became a prime suspect. Journalistic giant K.W. Lee compared Soo Lee’s...
In the documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee,” first-time doc directors Julie Ha and Eugene Yi use archival materials in an attempt to present their tragic hero in all three dimensions. Despite their efforts, Soo Lee feels just out of reach, but the story of his life remains as important as it is horrifying.
The film opens by explaining the crime and how Soo Lee became a prime suspect. Journalistic giant K.W. Lee compared Soo Lee’s...
- 8/26/2022
- by Lena Wilson
- The Wrap
On the surface, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s Free Chol Soo Lee tells the story of an infamous wrongful conviction and its long cultural aftermath. If you recognize the name, you know the story. In Chinatown, San Francisco, in 1973, a man named Yip Yee Tak was gunned down on the corner of Pacific and Grant. A .38 Special was later found nearby. It would be linked to the Korean American 21-year-old Chol Soo Lee, who had only days earlier gotten the attention of the Sfpd after firing a gun in his hotel room.
- 8/22/2022
- by K. Austin Collins
- Rollingstone.com
Documentary tells the story of a Korean man unjustly jailed for a San Francisco gangland killing who was ruined by his time behind bars
This story of a miscarriage of justice is told with enormous sensitivity, intelligence and insight by documentary-makers Julie Ha and Eugene Yi. Their subject is Chol Soo Lee, who was falsely accused of murder in 1973 aged 20 and served 10 years in prison, four on death row. His case sparked a social justice movement that brought together long-haired hippy students, patent-leather-handbag carrying pensioners from California’s Korean churches and the wider Asian American community.
Lee was accused of killing Yip Yee Tak, a gang leader shot dead in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He was arrested after some spectacularly numbnuts copwork (officers initially described Lee as Chinese American; he was born in Korea). The whole of Chinatown seemed to know the police had the wrong man; nevertheless, Lee was...
This story of a miscarriage of justice is told with enormous sensitivity, intelligence and insight by documentary-makers Julie Ha and Eugene Yi. Their subject is Chol Soo Lee, who was falsely accused of murder in 1973 aged 20 and served 10 years in prison, four on death row. His case sparked a social justice movement that brought together long-haired hippy students, patent-leather-handbag carrying pensioners from California’s Korean churches and the wider Asian American community.
Lee was accused of killing Yip Yee Tak, a gang leader shot dead in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He was arrested after some spectacularly numbnuts copwork (officers initially described Lee as Chinese American; he was born in Korea). The whole of Chinatown seemed to know the police had the wrong man; nevertheless, Lee was...
- 8/16/2022
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
A cursory look at documentary producer Su Kim’s filmography presents an immediate contrast to the era of the blockbuster documentary. Her movies explore underrepresented experiences from the inside out, and present the ultimate antidote to the hodgepodge of high-profile portraits of celebrity and corruption that dominate the non-fiction market.
“I want to capture stories from the margins of power and insert them into into the mainstream,” she said in an interview with IndieWire this week, “to shed light on people who often fall through the cracks.” That may sound like lofty ambition, but it’s supported by the work.
In 2018, Kim was nominated for an Oscar on director Ramell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” an operatic immersion into the lives of a Black community in Alabama; 2019’s “Midnight Traveler” follows an Afghan director and his family on the lam from the Taliban through footage shot as they fled; “Bitterbrush,...
“I want to capture stories from the margins of power and insert them into into the mainstream,” she said in an interview with IndieWire this week, “to shed light on people who often fall through the cracks.” That may sound like lofty ambition, but it’s supported by the work.
In 2018, Kim was nominated for an Oscar on director Ramell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” an operatic immersion into the lives of a Black community in Alabama; 2019’s “Midnight Traveler” follows an Afghan director and his family on the lam from the Taliban through footage shot as they fled; “Bitterbrush,...
- 8/12/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Arrested in 1973 for a murder he did not commit, Chol Soo Lee became a rallying cause for Asian-Americans in the 1980s – a story too important to be buried in history, say the film’s directors
On 7 June 1973, a 20-year-old man named Chol Soo Lee was arrested for a gang-related murder in Chinatown, San Francisco. Lee was – as he put it in his memoir – a “young street punk” working odd jobs across the city. He was the only Korean in his community: playful and charismatic, testifies a friend.
Lee was arrested and imprisoned, but within Chinatown he was widely believed to be innocent. By the time he was retried and released, 10 years later, Lee had become an international symbol, bringing together an unprecedented coalition of pan-Asian-American activists to campaign for his freedom. He was interviewed on television. Supporters wrote him letters. A record called The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee was...
On 7 June 1973, a 20-year-old man named Chol Soo Lee was arrested for a gang-related murder in Chinatown, San Francisco. Lee was – as he put it in his memoir – a “young street punk” working odd jobs across the city. He was the only Korean in his community: playful and charismatic, testifies a friend.
Lee was arrested and imprisoned, but within Chinatown he was widely believed to be innocent. By the time he was retried and released, 10 years later, Lee had become an international symbol, bringing together an unprecedented coalition of pan-Asian-American activists to campaign for his freedom. He was interviewed on television. Supporters wrote him letters. A record called The Ballad of Chol Soo Lee was...
- 8/11/2022
- by Rebecca Liu
- The Guardian - Film News
Having moved from Korea to the San Fransico neighborhood of Chinatown in the 1960s as the only Korean kid in the community with no English communication skills, Chol Soo Lee found himself known as an “at-risk youth.” A decade later, the 20-something immigrant was racially profiled and convicted of the murder of local gang member Yip Yee Tak.
Read More: ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ Review: An Unflinching Portrait Of The Trauma Inflicted On An Innocent Man [Sundance]
While Lee maintained his innocence, being convicted of first-degree murder landed him in one of California’s most dangerous and violent facilities for life.
Continue reading ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’: An Investigative Journalist Ignites A Social Justice Movement [Exclusive Clip] at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ Review: An Unflinching Portrait Of The Trauma Inflicted On An Innocent Man [Sundance]
While Lee maintained his innocence, being convicted of first-degree murder landed him in one of California’s most dangerous and violent facilities for life.
Continue reading ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’: An Investigative Journalist Ignites A Social Justice Movement [Exclusive Clip] at The Playlist.
- 8/10/2022
- by Jamie Rogers
- The Playlist
The late Korean-American immigrant Chol Soo Lee never got the chance to narrate Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s clear-eyed documentary about his journey through the American justice system, but his voice rings through every moment of “Free Chol Soo Lee.” His own memoirs and letters to key compatriots frame the film, thanks to respectful and compelling narration from another former prisoner of Korean descent, Sebastian Yoon (you can find his story in the Netflix Ken Burns docuseries “College Behind Bars”).
, which follows Lee’s tragic life through many iterations. A tremendous miscarriage of justice led to him being incarcerated in 1973 for a murder he did not commit, and that story alone could support its own film. However, Ha and Yi also delve into Lee’s upbringing, the myriad ways systems let him down (from schools to assorted detention facilities), and his desire to find a place in the world as a confused young man.
, which follows Lee’s tragic life through many iterations. A tremendous miscarriage of justice led to him being incarcerated in 1973 for a murder he did not commit, and that story alone could support its own film. However, Ha and Yi also delve into Lee’s upbringing, the myriad ways systems let him down (from schools to assorted detention facilities), and his desire to find a place in the world as a confused young man.
- 8/10/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The 45th Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF45) will take place from August 3 – 13, and combines in-person screenings and events with online programs to make an exciting hybrid festival. The festival will kick off on August 3 with an exclusive in-person screening of its Opening Night film Free Chol Soo Lee, directed by Julie Ha and Eugene Yi, at the Asia Society and Museum, with a reception to follow.
Free Chol Soo Lee is a documentary which excavates the essential story of 1970s San Francisco, when 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee is racially profiled and convicted of a Chinatown gang murder. Sentenced to life, he spends years fighting to survive until investigative journalist K.W. Lee takes interest in his case, igniting an unprecedented social justice movement that would unite Asian Americans and inspire a new generation of activists.
“This film uplifts our deeper purpose of this year’s festival: to bring...
Free Chol Soo Lee is a documentary which excavates the essential story of 1970s San Francisco, when 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee is racially profiled and convicted of a Chinatown gang murder. Sentenced to life, he spends years fighting to survive until investigative journalist K.W. Lee takes interest in his case, igniting an unprecedented social justice movement that would unite Asian Americans and inspire a new generation of activists.
“This film uplifts our deeper purpose of this year’s festival: to bring...
- 7/22/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
A premiere at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s documentary Free Chol Soo Lee examines the story of a 20-year-old Korean immigrant in 1970s San Francisco who was wrongly convicted of murder, and the unprecedented pan-Asian American movement that freed him. Picked up by Mubi, the acclaimed film will get a release on August 12 at the IFC Center in New York, followed by a special, one-night-only screening event in movie theaters nationwide on August 17th, then a larger rollout. Ahead of the release, the first trailer has now arrived.
John Fink said in his review, “Shedding light on the life of the Korean-American cause cél`èbe, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s Free Chol Soo Lee captures a unique moment in Asian American history and ultimately the story of a young man who may have never had a chance. Arriving in Chinatown, San Francisco in the early ’70s,...
John Fink said in his review, “Shedding light on the life of the Korean-American cause cél`èbe, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s Free Chol Soo Lee captures a unique moment in Asian American history and ultimately the story of a young man who may have never had a chance. Arriving in Chinatown, San Francisco in the early ’70s,...
- 7/20/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
"The judicial system continued to remain ignorant and insensitive." Mubi has revealed an official trailer for an acclaimed documentary film titled Free Chol Soo Lee, which first premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. This remarkable film is about the power of activism and community, telling a story from the past that most may have never heard of before. Asian Americans united in the late 1970s and early 80s to free Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant who was wrongly convicted of a gang murder, but once out, he self-destructs, threatening the movement's legacy and the man himself. "His series of stories helped trigger a landmark movement to free a wrongfully convicted man from death row," the filmmakers explain. "You pay attention, and it actually changes your whole world view and what might be your purpose in life. We just decided to dig in and excavate the story...
- 7/20/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
As we know all too well, freedom and justice aren’t for all in America.
Sundance documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee” centers on the racial profiling and subsequent arrest of then 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee who was accused of a gang-related murder in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1973.
The documentary premieres August 12 at the IFC Center in New York City, followed by a special one-night-only simulcast screening event hosted by Mubi in over 180 theaters nationwide August 17 for the week that would’ve been Lee’s 70th birthday. After the special one-night-only event, “Free Chol Soo Lee” will continue to roll out to theaters across the country, including the Roxie Theater in San Francisco starting August 19, with Los Angeles and additional cities to come. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer below.
As seen in the documentary, after a trial hinging on questionable accounts from white tourists, Lee is convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Sundance documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee” centers on the racial profiling and subsequent arrest of then 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee who was accused of a gang-related murder in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1973.
The documentary premieres August 12 at the IFC Center in New York City, followed by a special one-night-only simulcast screening event hosted by Mubi in over 180 theaters nationwide August 17 for the week that would’ve been Lee’s 70th birthday. After the special one-night-only event, “Free Chol Soo Lee” will continue to roll out to theaters across the country, including the Roxie Theater in San Francisco starting August 19, with Los Angeles and additional cities to come. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer below.
As seen in the documentary, after a trial hinging on questionable accounts from white tourists, Lee is convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
- 7/20/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Kicking off this Thursday is one of the finest annual showcases in indie filmmaking, BAMcinemaFest, taking place at Bam Rose Cinemas. Among both well-curated highlights from recent festivals and world premieres, we’ve rounded up six essential features not to miss.
The festival also includes a number of notable new shorts, including Lynne Sachs’ Swerve (see our trailer premiere), Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck’s The Last Days of August, Rodney Evans’ Portal, and more. Check out our feature picks below and learn more here.
2nd Chance (Ramin Bahrani)
It’s an eerie image. Richard Davis stands out in a field, wearing a kevlar vest, and points a pistol into his belly. Then he pulls the trigger, skips back a bit, and checks his red-burned skin. Over the course of his life, he would do this—shoot himself—192 times, proving the efficacy of his life-saving device in the most visceral and operatic way possible.
The festival also includes a number of notable new shorts, including Lynne Sachs’ Swerve (see our trailer premiere), Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck’s The Last Days of August, Rodney Evans’ Portal, and more. Check out our feature picks below and learn more here.
2nd Chance (Ramin Bahrani)
It’s an eerie image. Richard Davis stands out in a field, wearing a kevlar vest, and points a pistol into his belly. Then he pulls the trigger, skips back a bit, and checks his red-burned skin. Over the course of his life, he would do this—shoot himself—192 times, proving the efficacy of his life-saving device in the most visceral and operatic way possible.
- 6/21/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Sundance Institute and Picturehouse have announced the programme of feature films, short films and panel discussions for the Sundance Film Festival: London 2022, taking place from 9 to 12 June at Picturehouse Central.
Presented in association with Adobe, the festival will present 12 feature films from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A., selected for London by the Sundance Institute programming team in collaboration with Picturehouse.
Opening on 9 June with the UK premiere of Sophie Hyde’s ‘Good Luck To You, Leo Grande’, the festival will close four days later on 12 June with the UK premiere screening of British filmmaker Jim Archer’s feature ‘Brian and Charles’, presented by Time Out. The feel-good comedy film stars British actor and comedian David Earl as Brian, a lonely and unlucky inventor who builds an artificial intelligence robot made from odds and ends, including an old washing machine.
The festival will feature an...
Presented in association with Adobe, the festival will present 12 feature films from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A., selected for London by the Sundance Institute programming team in collaboration with Picturehouse.
Opening on 9 June with the UK premiere of Sophie Hyde’s ‘Good Luck To You, Leo Grande’, the festival will close four days later on 12 June with the UK premiere screening of British filmmaker Jim Archer’s feature ‘Brian and Charles’, presented by Time Out. The feel-good comedy film stars British actor and comedian David Earl as Brian, a lonely and unlucky inventor who builds an artificial intelligence robot made from odds and ends, including an old washing machine.
The festival will feature an...
- 4/26/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
In a 15+ film collection, Pacific Art Movement’s 11th San Diego Asian Film Festival (Sdaff) Spring Showcase returns to in-person programming at the Ultrastar Cinemas in Mission Valley, San Diego from April 21 through 28, 2022. This year’s showcase recognizes the impact of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islanders (Aapi) on popular culture. Audiences will enjoy eight days of films from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam including a four-film retrospective on director and actress Kinuyo Tanaka. The showcase opens with the biopic Anita on April 21 telling the captivating story of the “Madonna of Hong Kong”. Closing night features Free Chol Soo Lee which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this January. Other programming includes live Q&As from filmmakers and a panel discussion with the authors of Rise: A Pop History of Asian America From The Nineties To Now.
“Our 11th Spring Showcase marks more than just a return in-person for the Asian,...
“Our 11th Spring Showcase marks more than just a return in-person for the Asian,...
- 4/4/2022
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Fire of Love For the second year in a row, Sundance went online, canceling what was supposed to be a hybrid event to celebrate its 38th edition as a wholly virtual fare. Once again, the post-premiere debates and sense of community so cardinal to festivals were shunted to tweets, texts, and DMs—even as the fest, IndieWire’s Eric Kohn wrote a few days before kick-off, offered attendees a chance to whip up a digital avatar and socialize with other guests in 3D environments: “a microcosm of the way that the festival community has evolved in recent years.” For all the widespread fears around the pandemic’s impact on the industry, browsing through the usually overwhelming amount of reviews and dispatches one detects a careful optimism. “The decline in theatrical viewing for most movies may have a negative effect on the profitability of independents—and therefore on the ability to release them,...
- 2/1/2022
- MUBI
Slow start has given way to steady flow of deals.
After a typically slow start over opening weekend Sundance 2022 deal-making gathered momentum throughout the week and Apple stole the headlines for the second year in a row with its $15m worldwide buy on Cooper Raiff’s coming-of-age title Cha Cha Real Smooth.
Searchlight Pictures announced a high-profile pre-buy for Fresh on the eve of the virtual festival and by the close of the first weekend National Geographic Documentary Films had swooped on documentaries Fire Of Love and The Territory.
Sony Pictures Classics acquired multiple territories on Bill Nighy drama Living...
After a typically slow start over opening weekend Sundance 2022 deal-making gathered momentum throughout the week and Apple stole the headlines for the second year in a row with its $15m worldwide buy on Cooper Raiff’s coming-of-age title Cha Cha Real Smooth.
Searchlight Pictures announced a high-profile pre-buy for Fresh on the eve of the virtual festival and by the close of the first weekend National Geographic Documentary Films had swooped on documentaries Fire Of Love and The Territory.
Sony Pictures Classics acquired multiple territories on Bill Nighy drama Living...
- 1/31/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
In 1973, at the age of 23, Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was arrested. An outsider within San Francisco’s Chinatown, Lee was charged with first-degree murder after being accused of shooting a Chinese gang member in the back at point-blank range. Though he maintained his innocence, Lee was convicted of the crime and received a life sentence. Complicating things for Lee was the fact that he was imprisoned in one of California’s most dangerous and notoriously violent facilities.
Continue reading ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ Review: An Unflinching Portrait Of The Trauma Inflicted On An Innocent Man [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ Review: An Unflinching Portrait Of The Trauma Inflicted On An Innocent Man [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/30/2022
- by R. Colin Tait
- The Playlist
Production company Mubi has acquired Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee” that premiered last week at Sundance, the company said in a release.
The film has been acquired for North America, UK, Ireland, Latin America, German, Austria, Italy and Turkey and will release theatrically in 2022 in the U.S., with plans for other regions coming later.
The documentary is about a movement in the 1970s in San Francisco, where a 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee gets racially profiled and convicted of a Chinatown gang murder. Lee is sentenced to life and fights to survive until a journalist takes up his case and ignites a social justice movement in the Asian American community. The film creates a portrait of the man at the center of this movement five decades later.
“Our team is overjoyed to be partnering with Mubi, who embrace and share our goal...
The film has been acquired for North America, UK, Ireland, Latin America, German, Austria, Italy and Turkey and will release theatrically in 2022 in the U.S., with plans for other regions coming later.
The documentary is about a movement in the 1970s in San Francisco, where a 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee gets racially profiled and convicted of a Chinatown gang murder. Lee is sentenced to life and fights to survive until a journalist takes up his case and ignites a social justice movement in the Asian American community. The film creates a portrait of the man at the center of this movement five decades later.
“Our team is overjoyed to be partnering with Mubi, who embrace and share our goal...
- 1/29/2022
- by Antoinette Siu
- The Wrap
The deals keep coming at the 2022 Virtual Sundance Film Festival. Mubi closed the docu Free Chol Soo Lee, including North America, and Warner Bros is negotiating a near $7 million WW rights deal for the Tig Notaro/Stephanie Allynne film Am I Ok? to place the film on HBO Max. The Lauren Pomerantz-scripted film stars Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Molly Gordon, and Sean Hayes.
Am I Ok? premiered January 24 and played in the Premieres category. Lucy and Jane have been best friends for most of their lives and think they know everything there is to know about each other. But when Jane announces she’s moving to London, Lucy reveals a longheld secret. As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos. The film is produced by Stephanie Allynne, Ro Donnelly, Jessica Elbaum, Erik Feig and Will Ferrell, a coproduction between Gloria Sanchez Productions and Picturestart.
Am I Ok? premiered January 24 and played in the Premieres category. Lucy and Jane have been best friends for most of their lives and think they know everything there is to know about each other. But when Jane announces she’s moving to London, Lucy reveals a longheld secret. As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos. The film is produced by Stephanie Allynne, Ro Donnelly, Jessica Elbaum, Erik Feig and Will Ferrell, a coproduction between Gloria Sanchez Productions and Picturestart.
- 1/29/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Those who knew Chol Soo Lee, or saw his image printed on the posters, stickers, and t-shirts of the 1970s Pan-Asian American movement to release him from jail, often remarked on his stunning beauty. “What a good-looking kid. I mean real good-looking kid,” chirps investigative reporter K.W. Lee, recalling their first encounter at San Quentin Prison in Free Chol Soo Lee, a new Sundance documentary that tells the story of a young man falsely convicted of murder, the symbol he became, and the activists who rallied for both. Later in the film, investigative reporter, Josiah “Tink” Thompson, asks the witness […]
The post “Even in Asian American Progressive Circles, People Have Not Heard This Story”: Eugene Yi and Julie Ha on Their Sundance-Premiering Documentary, Free Chol Soo Lee first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Even in Asian American Progressive Circles, People Have Not Heard This Story”: Eugene Yi and Julie Ha on Their Sundance-Premiering Documentary, Free Chol Soo Lee first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/27/2022
- by Aaron Hunt
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Those who knew Chol Soo Lee, or saw his image printed on the posters, stickers, and t-shirts of the 1970s Pan-Asian American movement to release him from jail, often remarked on his stunning beauty. “What a good-looking kid. I mean real good-looking kid,” chirps investigative reporter K.W. Lee, recalling their first encounter at San Quentin Prison in Free Chol Soo Lee, a new Sundance documentary that tells the story of a young man falsely convicted of murder, the symbol he became, and the activists who rallied for both. Later in the film, investigative reporter, Josiah “Tink” Thompson, asks the witness […]
The post “Even in Asian American Progressive Circles, People Have Not Heard This Story”: Eugene Yi and Julie Ha on Their Sundance-Premiering Documentary, Free Chol Soo Lee first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Even in Asian American Progressive Circles, People Have Not Heard This Story”: Eugene Yi and Julie Ha on Their Sundance-Premiering Documentary, Free Chol Soo Lee first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/27/2022
- by Aaron Hunt
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Shedding light on the life of the Korean-American cause cél`èbe, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s Free Chol Soo Lee captures a unique moment in Asian American history and ultimately the story of a young man who may have never had a chance. Arriving in Chinatown, San Francisco in the early ’70s, Chol Soo Lee worked odd jobs, among them barker for the local strip clubs. One day his manager shows him a gun that he borrows for no reason at all, leading to an accidental discharge in the bedroom of the flop house he’s occupied. Five days later he’s arrested for murder after a random killing is committed on the street, before a hundred witnesses, with the same type of gun he’d been playing with.
Tried and ultimately sent to prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Lee finds himself in over his head.
Tried and ultimately sent to prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Lee finds himself in over his head.
- 1/25/2022
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
“Free Chol Soo Lee” charts the complicated history of a wrongful-conviction victim who became a figurehead for both Asian-American and prisoners’-rights activists in the 1970s and beyond. Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s film benefits from ample archival material, as well as latter-day input from surviving interviewees. Even so, it’s a tale ultimately more sad than inspiring, because Lee’s case embodies the odds stacked against even an exoneree adjusting successfully to civilian life after debilitating years in “the system.” With its focus on a fairly recent if little-remembered U.S. historical chapter and surrounding community activism, this involving documentary seems a natural fit for PBS and equivalent broadcast outlets.
Lee was born in Seoul in 1952, his mother moving alone to the U.S. soon thereafter, having been ostracized by her family for falling pregnant out of wedlock. (It is suggested that she was raped.) Fourteen years later she returned to retrieve him,...
Lee was born in Seoul in 1952, his mother moving alone to the U.S. soon thereafter, having been ostracized by her family for falling pregnant out of wedlock. (It is suggested that she was raped.) Fourteen years later she returned to retrieve him,...
- 1/22/2022
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
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