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​Kyung-Ja (KJ) Lee

Writer/Director/Producer based in Los Angeles

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Lee obtained her Master’s degree in psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, and a Master’s degree in directing at AFI with award-winning short film "Halmani".

 

Lee continued her independent filmmaking career and received numerous awards and fellowships, including Rockefeller Foundation Asian Artist Fellowship, Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Producers Guild of America Diversity Project Fellowship, Shanghai International Film Festival Co-FPC Showcase, and was in development with HBO Pictures as Writer/Director of a feature project "Koreatown Blues" set against the 1992 L.A. Riot.

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Lee is currently developing several feature/short projects including a supernatural thriller, "The Calling", a Korea adoptee’s struggles with her birthmother’s “shaman calling”.

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In 2021, she was a fellow in ARRAY’s Inaugural Seminar and was awarded a California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship.

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Artist Statement

When I was a little girl in Korea, a shaman told me that I was given a special garb from my previous life, which revealed two styles, one traditional Korean, the other Western.


I want to tell stories that transgress cultural boundaries and lead to a greater understanding between various ethnicities. As a Korean-American filmmaker, my objective is to express a unique vision through my bicultural background, telling impactful stories about the Asian-American experience in particular.

 

My stories are inspired by real historical events and cultural tradition which reflect the trials and tribulations of interactions between differing minority groups. Using the digital medium, I portray both the gritty realities and their dreams. A neo-realistic style suits the stark reality of immigrant life, while colorful traditions and shared spiritual beliefs call for a more lyrical style, ultimately creating poetic moments. 

CONTACT

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kjlee1659@gmail.com

 

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