Gretchen Jude Composed Film Nominated for Emmy Awards

Free Chol Soo Lee, a film on which UofU Film & Media Arts Professor Gretchen Jude worked as composer, has been nominated for three Emmy Awards, including Best Documentary. The winners will be announced at the 45th Annual Documentary Emmy Awards in New York City on September 26th.

The documentary, directed by Julie Ha and Eugene Yi, tells the story of Korean immigrant Chol Woo Lee, who was wrongly convicted of murder and inspired a pan-Asian solidarity movement to overturn his conviction. "Free Chol Soo Lee is what documentary filmmaking should strive for as a medium built of humanity and empathy,” wrote critic Nick Allen on RogerEbert.com.

Professor Gretchen Jude wrote the following about her experience working on the film: “I watched the rough cut less than four months before our Sundance premiere. Despite the time crunch, I felt instantly committed to the project. Free Chol Soo Lee tells the gripping story of a young Korean immigrant wrongly convicted of murder, with extensive interviews and archival footage that provide a keen sense of the story’s immediacy and relevance. The challenge I had as a composer was to help integrate interviews and archival footage into a coherent arc, underlining the story’s emotional nuance.  I used simple instrumentation (voice, piano and electronics as well as archival field recordings) and referenced traditional Korean lullabies at key moments. I aimed to amplify the communal energy Chol Soo channeled (and continues to inspire)–and ultimately, to pay tribute to his memory.”

The film premiered at Sundance in 2022, and has now found a home on PBS’s Independent Lens program. In celebration of its Emmy nominations, PBS is making the film available for free screening from September 16 to November 14. Simply search “Free Chol Soo Lee” on PBS.org or on your PBS streaming app.