We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yoo Lee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yoo below.
Yoo, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I am just about to wrap up production on a documentary I’ve been working on for the past two years, titled A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers. It follows a wildflower photographer in Korea named Jung Myung Kim, who also happens to be the father of one of my oldest and closest friends, Shinae.
Every year, she would give me a lovely flower calendar that her father had created, and it left a lasting impression on me. When I graduated from USC in 2023, I knew I wanted to make a meaningful film, something I could champion and that would set the path for my future as a storyteller.
I went back to Korea in 2023 to interview Jung Myung Kim, and his story met all the criteria I was looking for. So, I started working on the project that very year, without any funding. I was determined to make it on my own and figure out the rest along the way.
In the process, I got lucky and was selected as one of 11 directors supported by Proof of Concept, backed by so many well-intentioned and brilliant minds, including Cate Blanchett and Coco Francini at Dirty Films, Netflix, and Dr. Stacy L. Smith at USC Annenberg.
With the help of incredibly talented collaborators and amazing mentors, we brought this documentary to life. It champions a man with deep passion, someone who calls himself just an ordinary person, but once you get to know him and see what he has accomplished, he quickly becomes one of the most extraordinary people you will ever encounter.
I am incredibly proud of this film. Making it showed me what a meaningful life looks like and reaffirmed the kind of filmmaker I am and aspire to be for the rest of my career.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Yoo Lee. I am a writer, director, and artist who uses stop-motion animation to tell her stories. My films can be found in the New Yorker Screening Room, and Max for public viewing.
I was a disgruntled fashion brand owner for almost twenty years until I reignited my creative passion for animation. I went back to properly learn the fundamentals and obtained an MFA in Animation and Digital Design at USC.
Since I started my storytelling career later in life, and knowing how limited our time is, I have worked hard at my craft and focused on telling stories that resonate with me, stories I deeply understand or connect with.
My big break came through Film Independent, where I was selected as the Laika Animation Fellow with Project Involve in ‘21. That opportunity led me to receive HBO Max Access Animated Shorts funding in ’22, the Fox Fellowship in ‘23, and Proof of Concept in ‘24.
I always say that luck is the opportunity you create for yourself through hard work. I never let rejections deter me; instead, I see it as the fastest way to get where I need to go by adjusting my trajectory. I take pride in my grit, tenacity, and dark sense of humor.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I want to be remembered for my work, long after I am gone.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
That I get to entertain the audience and make them feel something.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meetyoolee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meetyoolee/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoo-lee-00a0a86/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@meetyoolee
Image Credits
Aaron Wise