In 1970s San Francisco, Chol Soo Lee, a 20-year-old Korean immigrant, is racially profiled and convicted of a Chinatown gang murder by a corrupt police department thirsty for a swift conviction. Sentenced to life, he spends years on death row fighting to survive until investigative journalist K.W. Lee takes an interest in his case, igniting an unprecedented social justice movement that would unite younger, politically radical, third generation Asian Americans with older, conservative Korean immigrants, and inspire a new generation of activists. Nearly five decades later, Free Chol Soo Lee explores the complex history of this landmark yet largely forgotten Asian American social movement, crafting an intimate portrait of the complex man at its centre, and serving as an urgent reminder that his legacy is more relevant than ever.

Notes by David O’Mahony

There will be Open Captioned screenings on Tuesday the 23rd at 13:00 and Thursday the 25th at 20:30