K A Y L E B L E E from Combat Videographer/Photographer to Film Director

Kayleb Lee received his start in film as a Marine Combat Videographer and Photographer. His background began with a diaspora family escaping genocide and raising a first generation Southeast Asian family in America. During the genocide, any and all artists, educators, and politicians were massacred therefore the arts are taboo in his family. Years of latent discovery and hiding poetry, drawings, LimeWire Anime music video edits, breakdancing crews, and hacked softwares on a donated HP PC, he unknowingly built a creative arsenal. In order to escape poverty, he joined the Marines and had pursued engineering and mechanics. In order to find emotional and mental freedom, he continued to be an artist. Then one day, after a four hour conversation in the Afghanistan desert, he was mentored to leave the service, go to school, and pursue Hollywood.

Kayleb Lee is a graduate from the Los Angeles Film School, and since then his art and works have screened at The Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival, LACMA, The Crest, and internationally.
He has directed independent shorts, for brands such as Ray-Ban, Aloof, and Tennis Channel and edited for Traeger, TaylorMade, NBA, DIRECTV, Tennis Channel, Aloof, and many others.
His photography has been featured on USA Today and within the Marines.
He's currently working on name-dropping, adding accolades, collaborators, and an Academy Award to his bio.
Kayleb Lee is based in Los Angeles, CA.
Fellowships
AICP Mentoring Program 2023
Minority in Film's Directing Lab 2022
The Academy Gold Program 2020
Cannes Student Program 2020
LACMA's Veterans Make Movies 2019
Awards
A Theory in Sepia (2022)
2020 Romance Film & Screenplay FF (Best Short Film)
WARSOL (2021)
2021 Boston Asian American FF (Official Selection)
Le Coup (2020)
2021 Top Indie Films (Best Student, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Original Idea)
2020 Detroit Black FF (Best Student Film)
2020 Genre Celebration FF
2020 Romance Film & Screenplay FF (Best Film)
2020 Couch FF (Semi-Finalist)
Cupid Hates You (Short, Script)
2020 Script Summit (Top 32%)
Sub·li·mind·al (Short, Script)
2020 Script Summit (Top 38%)
All in Sepia (Feature Script)
2020 Screenwriting Master Contest (Finalist)
Fifty & Five (2019)
2019 Alternative FF (Semi-Finalist)
2019 Super Duper Diversity FF
2019 Veterans FF
2019 LACMA's Veterans Make Movies
Papaya (2019)
2022022 Sacramento Asian American FF
22020 Boston Asian American FF
2020 Rome Prisma Awards
2019 Seattle Asian American FF
2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific FF
2019 Los Angeles Film School Veterans FF (Best Short)
2019 Blazing Sun Independent Shorts FF
2019 AI FF (Semi Finalist)
2019 Top Indie Films (Best Sound, Best Original Idea, Best Short, Best Director)
2019 Saigon FF
2019 Asian Cinematography Awards (Best Production Design)
2019 Philadelphia Asian American FF
2019 Indie Short Fest (Finalist)