The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation has added a bonus film screening to the 13th Annual Asian American Film Series: Free Chol Soo Lee. Since 2010, SBTHP has presented the Asian American Film Series, a free event held on Fridays in July at the Alhecama Theatre. In an effort to explore the history and cultures of the Asian communities that once thrived in and around the Santa Barbara Presidio area, the series includes films that speak to the Asian American experience in the US. The films have addressed a broad range of historical and modern topics, such as the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, Chinese American adoptions, and the contributions of key Asian American figures.

Free Chol Soo Lee

January 6th, 2023 – 6PM In 1970s San Francisco, 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 a special interest in his case, igniting an unprecedented push for social action that would unite Asian Americans and inspire a new generation of activists.

A virtual Q&A about the documentary with Director Julie Ha and Director Eugene Yi will follow.

This film series is made possible by the generous support of the George H. Griffiths and Olive J. Griffiths Charitable Foundation.

For more information, visit sbthp.org/aafs.