Telly Award® winning filmmaker Christian Lee is a New York Times published photographer and a National YoungArts Winner whose work received international recognition from over thirty competitions & publications, including the Sony World Photography Awards, Vogue Italia’s PhotoVogue, W.W. Norton & Company, Fujifilm, the University of Cambridge, and the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. His short films premiered at the largest screening venues in the United States, ranging from the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to the AMC Empire Theatre in Times Square. He worked as as a High School Insider Journalist for the Los Angeles Times and currently serves on the Board of Directors at The Lighthouse Initiative, a registered non-profit organization supported by Microsoft, Canva, and the Davidson Institute.
Select Awards:
- The New York Times Coming of Age Contest, Winner (2020)
- Sony World Photography Awards, Shortlist (2022)
- National YoungArts Competition, Winner in Photography (2022)
- 43rd Annual Telly Awards, Bronze Prize for Outstanding Student Film
- National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Silver Medalist in Poetry (2022)
- 23rd Annual National High School Poetry Contest, Winner
- Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Winner of 6 Gold Keys, 2 Silver Keys, 5 Honorable Mentions (2021-22)
- Unfinished Work - Martin Luther King Jr. Film Festival, Best Impact Film (2020)
- 40th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, Nextwave Youth Competition Finalist
- Fearless, Youth Initiative Film Festival, Best Photography Prize (2021)
- 20th Annual Drexel University High Photography Contest, National Finalist
- Philadelphia Youth Film Festival, Special Jury Prizes in Screenwriting & Film (2021)
- American Youth Film Festival, Jackie Award for Best Actor & Best High School Film Nominee (2022)
- Revolution Me Film Festival, Screenwriting Prize & Social Awareness Award (2021-2022)
- All American High School Film Festival, Best Podcast Nominee (2020)
- Our Voices Film Festival, Best PSA Finalist (2020)
- 60 Second Film Festival, Best Short Finalist (2020)
- Documentary Family Awards, Finalist in Photography (2021)
- ESMoA Video + Art Film Festival, Semi-Finalist (2020)
- Newark IFF Youth Film Festival, Semi-Finalist (2018)
- “Coming of Age: Teens on a Year That Changed Everything” A Special Section Print, The New York Times
- Available for Purchase on The New York Times Store
- “Coming of Age in 2020: Teenagers on the Year That Changed Everything” W.W. Norton & Company, Edited by Katherine Schulten
- Available for Pre-Order on Amazon.com
- “Teens on a Year That Changed Everything” The New York Times, The Learning Network
- “The Documentary and Art Photography of Christian Lee” Vogue Italia, PhotoVogue
- “Anthology and Catalogue: Select Works by YoungArts Winners” National YoungArts Foundation
- “Rising Stars: Meet Christian Lee” LA’s Most Inspiring Stories, VoyageLA Magazine
- “The Black and White Imagery of Artist Christian Lee” The Adroit Journal, Volume 40
- “‘Til the Day Breaks: An Original Photo Series” Counterclock Journal, Issue 12
- “Celebrating Simplicity: Finding Beauty in the Commonplace” Los Angeles Times, High School Insider
- “Introducing Christian Lee” Young Photographers International Collective
- “Shutter Hub’s Postcards from Europe” Alison Richards Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom (2022)
- ”Reel Exposure International Juried Teen Photo Exhibition” Trolley Barn Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, New York (2022)
- “20th Annual Drexel University High School Photography Contest” Antoinette Westphal College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2020)
- “The Come & See Project: A Year in Photos” ARC Gallery, Whittier Christian High School, La Habra, California (2022)
- Golden State Film Festival, TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California (2022)
- All American High School Film Festival, AMC Empire Theatre, Times Square, New York City (2021) *two projects*
- Adelaide Film Festival, Variety Magazine’s ‘Unmissable Festival,’ Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide, Australia (2021)
- Central Film Festival, The Moxie Theater, Springfield, Missouri (2021) *two projects*
- Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival, Canadian Academy Awards Qualification, Canadian Museum of Immigration (2021)
- Scout Film Festival, ICA Seaport Studio, Boston, Massachusetts (2022)
- Kidz Hub Regional Film Festival, Old Bridge, New Jersey (2018)
- Brooklyn Shorty Film Festival, John D. McFadden, Sr. Young Filmmakers Competition, Virtual Screening (2020)
- Huntington Beach Cultural Cinema Showcase, Virtual Premiere (2020)
- Flicks Documentary Film Night, USVA Cultural Center, Groningen, Netherlands (2021)
- Lift-Off Global Network & First Time Filmmaker Sessions, Pinewood Studios, Iver, United Kingdom (2019-20) *four projects*
- Newark International Youth Film Festival, Supported by Panasonic, Newark, New Jersey (2018-20) *eight projects*