Sook-Yin Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sook-Yin Lee 李素英
Lee at the Odesa International Film Festival in 2010.
Background information
Born	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation(s)	Musician, actress, filmmaker, broadcaster, multimedia artist
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Zulu, Mint Records

Sook-Yin Lee is a talented Canadian artist. She is known for many things, like being a broadcaster, musician, film director, and actress. You might remember her as a VJ from MuchMusic or a radio host on CBC Radio. She has also acted in several movies, including Shortbus.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Sook-Yin Lee was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her father was from Hong Kong, and her mother was from Mainland China. She grew up in a strict family.

When she was a teenager in the mid-1980s, Sook-Yin Lee became the lead singer for a band called Bob's Your Uncle. This was a Vancouver alternative rock band. She often added unique performance art to their music. After this band ended, Lee started her own music career. She released several solo albums and also began acting in plays, movies, and TV shows. She was also the lead singer for another band called Slan.

From 2007 to 2018, Sook-Yin Lee worked closely with writer and musician Adam Litovitz. They often created art together. They even formed a band called Jooj, which released its first album in 2015. An album they worked on together, jooj two, came out in 2021. Sook-Yin Lee lives in Toronto today.

A Career in Broadcasting

Becoming a VJ and Radio Host

Sook-Yin Lee started as a VJ for MuchMusic in 1995. She hosted The Wedge, a show about alternative music. She was known for her unique and bold style on air.

In 2002, she became the host of Definitely Not the Opera. This was a popular pop culture radio show on CBC Radio One. The show ran until 2016.

Special Broadcast Projects

In 2004, Sook-Yin Lee hosted a documentary about Terry Fox. This was part of the CBC Television series The Greatest Canadian. Terry Fox was a Canadian hero who ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Lee was part of the CBC broadcasting team. She filmed a TV spot that talked about important issues like human rights.

From 2016 to 2018, Lee hosted a summer series called Sleepover for CBC Radio. It later became a podcast. In 2020, she hosted Landscape Artist of the Year Canada, a show where artists compete to create beautiful landscapes.

Work in Film and Acting

Directing and Acting in Films

Sook-Yin Lee is a filmmaker who often makes movies about important topics. Her first film as a director was Escapades of One Particular Mr. Noodle in 1990. This film was part of a series called Five Feminist Minutes, made by a film company focused on women's stories.

She played the main character, Alessa Woo, in the 2001 film The Art of Woo. She also had a smaller role in the movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

In 2003, director John Cameron Mitchell chose Sook-Yin Lee for his film Shortbus. Her role in Shortbus was very important. Many famous people, like director Francis Ford Coppola and artist Yoko Ono, supported her. The movie was shown at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Lee won an award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Shortbus.

She also acted in 3 Needles (2005), a film that discussed important health topics.

Later Film Roles and Directing

In 2012, Sook-Yin Lee was chosen to play Olivia Chow in the TV movie Jack. This film was about Canadian politician Jack Layton. It aired on CBC Television in 2013. Lee won a Canadian Screen Award for her excellent performance in 2014.

Lee also wrote, directed, and starred in a part of the 2008 film Toronto Stories. Her first full-length movie as a director was Year of the Carnivore, which premiered in 2009. She also helped create the music for this film, which was nominated for an award.

Her second feature film as a director, Octavio Is Dead!, came out in 2018. This movie also received several nominations for Canadian Screen Awards.

Theatrical Performances

In 2013, Sook-Yin Lee wrote and performed in a play called How Can I Forget?. She also created and directed other theatrical works, like Sphere of Banished Suffering, which involved dancers.

In 2019, she wrote and appeared in Unsafe. This was a play that explored the topic of censorship.

Discography

• 1994 – Lavinia's Tongue (Zulu Records)
• 1996 – Wigs 'n' Guns (Zulu Records)
• 2003 – Electric Blues (with Slan, Last Gang Records)
• 2010 – Original Music from and Inspired by the Movie Year of the Carnivore (with Buck 65 and Adam Litovitz, Last Gang Records)
• 2015 – JOOJ (with Adam Litovitz, Last Gang Records)
• 2018 – Octavio is Dead! (Original Soundtrack for the Film with Alia O'Brien, and Adam Litovitz, Last Gang Records)
• 2021 – jooj two (with Adam Litovitz, Mint Records)

Filmography

• Five Feminist Minutes (1990) (segment "Escapades of One Particular Mr. Noodle")
• Green Dolphin Beat (1994)
• Bad Company (1995)
• Sliders (1995, TV series)
• Boy Meets Girl (1998)
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
• The Art of Woo (2001)
• 3 Needles (2005)
• Shortbus (2006)
• Toronto Stories (2008)
• Year of the Carnivore (2009)
• Jack (2013)
• Octavio Is Dead! (2018)
• Death and Sickness (2020)
• Darkest Miriam (2024)
• Paying for It (2024)

See also

In Spanish: Sook-Yin Lee para niños

• List of female film and television directors
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women