hello, i am kayleb lee. former USMC combat videographer & photographer turned Film Director
STORY
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 unconsciously built a voice around creative mediums.
In order to escape poverty, he joined the Marines and had pursued engineering and mechanics. He continue to explore the arts and through those mediums found emotional and mental freedom.
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.
AWARDS & HONORS
Origami (Short, Script)
2023 Filmmatic Sci-Fi/Fantasy Awards (Finalist)
2023 We Script Competition FF (Selection)
Minivan (Short, Script)
2023 Rome Prisma Film Awards (Best Short Screenplay)
A Theory in Sepia (2022)
2022 Marine del Rey Film Festival
2022 Bali FilmDays
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)
2022 Sacramento Asian American FF
2022 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)
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