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.
Where to WatchAll options
Availability data from JustWatch
- Status
- Released
- Production
- XTR, ITVS, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)
Keywords
- 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
- korean
- asian american
Links
Top 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
Top Crew
Eugene Yi · Director
Julie Ha · Director
Gretchen Jude · Composer
Jean Tsien · Editor
Aldo Velasco · Editor
Photos
Reviews
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