Production company MUBI has acquired Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee”Sundance premiered the piece last week, the company stated in a release.
The film was acquired for North America and the UK, Ireland, Latin America and Turkey. It will be released theatrically in the U.S. in 2022. Plans for other regions are in place.
The documentary is about a 1970s movement in San Francisco where Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant, is racially profiled. He is convicted of the murder of a Chinatown Gang member. Lee is sentenced to life imprisonment and fights for survival until a journalist decides to take up his case. This ignites a social movement for justice in the Asian American community. Five decades later, the film paints a portrait about the man who was at the heart of this movement.
“Our team is overjoyed to be partnering with MUBI, who embrace and share our goal of making sure Free Chol Soo Lee finds a large and diverse audience,”In their statement, Ha and Yi stated the following: “They understand the art of the film and the heart of the story: the love between a poor Korean immigrant street kid and the strangers who embraced him, and deemed him worthy. With MUBI’s partnership, we hope to ensure a long life for the film and an enduring legacy for Chol Soo Lee and the landmark movement he inspired.”
Produced by Su Kim (Oscar-nominated Producer) and Emmy-winner Jean Tsien (Sona Jo) the film was made. Submarine Entertainment negotiated the deal with MUBI.