Chris Chan Lee
Encyclopedia
Chris Chan Lee (born in San Francisco, California
) is an Asian American filmmaker.
After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts
in Los Angeles, California
, Lee wrote/directed Yellow
, an independently financed feature film about the harrowing grad night of eight Korean-American teens in Los Angeles that culminates in a violent crime that will forever change their lives. Yellow
was invited to over a dozen film festivals, including the Slamdance Dramatic Competition 1998, Singapore International 1998, and the Los Angeles Film Festival 1997. The film won the 1999 Golden Ring Award for Best Asian American Independent Film.
Yellow
received a U.S. theatrical release by Phaedra Cinema (now Pathfinder Pictures) and worldwide sales by Cinema Arts. It garnered high critical praise throughout the nation from publications such as the Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert), the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, and the Village Voice. A sensation on the college circuit during its educational run by NAATA; young audiences got to see their lives reflected onscreen for the first time.
In 2002 Chris completed a one-year stint in Singapore directing television at MediaCorp Studios for English-language primetime TV series. A one-hour drama on which he was a principal director was subsequently nominated for Best Television Drama (as well as three best acting nominations) at the Asian Television Awards
.
In 2003, Lee was selected as one of three filmmakers for the Fast Track program sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine and the IFP Los Angeles Film Festival for his latest film, Undoing. The movie stars Sung Kang
, Russell Wong
, Kelly Hu
and Leonardo Nam
. The film is a character-driven neo-noir story set in Los Angeles. It premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival
in July 2006.
Lee has also directed music videos for Asian American artists Seam
and Mountain Brothers
, which have aired on NTV.
Lee is considered to be a pioneer in making films about Asian Americans.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
) is an Asian American filmmaker.
After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Lee wrote/directed Yellow
Yellow (1998 film)
Yellow is a 1998 film directed by Chris Chan Lee. The film is about the harrowing graduation night of eight Korean-American high school youths in Los Angeles that culminates in a violent crime that will forever change their lives....
, an independently financed feature film about the harrowing grad night of eight Korean-American teens in Los Angeles that culminates in a violent crime that will forever change their lives. Yellow
Yellow (1998 film)
Yellow is a 1998 film directed by Chris Chan Lee. The film is about the harrowing graduation night of eight Korean-American high school youths in Los Angeles that culminates in a violent crime that will forever change their lives....
was invited to over a dozen film festivals, including the Slamdance Dramatic Competition 1998, Singapore International 1998, and the Los Angeles Film Festival 1997. The film won the 1999 Golden Ring Award for Best Asian American Independent Film.
Yellow
Yellow (1998 film)
Yellow is a 1998 film directed by Chris Chan Lee. The film is about the harrowing graduation night of eight Korean-American high school youths in Los Angeles that culminates in a violent crime that will forever change their lives....
received a U.S. theatrical release by Phaedra Cinema (now Pathfinder Pictures) and worldwide sales by Cinema Arts. It garnered high critical praise throughout the nation from publications such as the Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert), the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, and the Village Voice. A sensation on the college circuit during its educational run by NAATA; young audiences got to see their lives reflected onscreen for the first time.
In 2002 Chris completed a one-year stint in Singapore directing television at MediaCorp Studios for English-language primetime TV series. A one-hour drama on which he was a principal director was subsequently nominated for Best Television Drama (as well as three best acting nominations) at the Asian Television Awards
Asian Television Awards
The Asian Television Awards is an appreciation to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. Held every December, the Awards draws about 1,400 entries each year from a wide range of broadcasters, including free-to-air TV stations and pay-TV...
.
In 2003, Lee was selected as one of three filmmakers for the Fast Track program sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine and the IFP Los Angeles Film Festival for his latest film, Undoing. The movie stars Sung Kang
Sung Kang
Sung Kang is an American actor, known for his role as Han Seoul-Oh in the films Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and Fast Five....
, Russell Wong
Russell Wong
Russell Girard Wong is an American actor and photographer, as well as the brother of actor/model Michael Wong.-Biography:...
, Kelly Hu
Kelly Hu
Kelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during...
and Leonardo Nam
Leonardo Nam
Leonardo Nam is an Argentine-born Australian actor of Korean descent.-Early life:Nam was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 6, he moved to Sydney, Australia. Nam attended Sydney Technical High School and studied architecture at the University of New South Wales. Nam left Sydney to...
. The film is a character-driven neo-noir story set in Los Angeles. It premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
in July 2006.
Lee has also directed music videos for Asian American artists Seam
Seam
Seam may refer to:* Seam , the line where two or more layers of fabric are held together by stitches* Seam , a stratum of coal or mineral that is economically viable; a bed or a distinct layer of vein of rock in other layers of rock...
and Mountain Brothers
Mountain Brothers
Mountain Brothers was an American hip hop group originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Named after the legend of 108 mountain bandits depicted in the Chinese novel Water Margin, the group formed in 1994 after all attended the Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania.The...
, which have aired on NTV.
Lee is considered to be a pioneer in making films about Asian Americans.