SAM SUNGMIN LEE
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WHITE LIES (2024) - Writer, DP, Director

​Genre: Drama

It's Hooni's first day in Australia - will he be okay? Perhaps with some lies, he will be...
Lost in a big new country, not quite understanding everything, but getting by just enough. Expectations are grander than reality.


- North Bellarine Film Festival 2024 Emerging Filmmaker Award Winner!
- Red Sands Film Festival 2025 Best Actor Winner!
- Red Sands Film Festival 2025 Finalist: Best Film, Best Director
- Warburton Film Festival 2025 Show Us Your Shorts Merit Award

- WTF Festival Selection

- Nassau Film Festival Honourable Mention
- Golden Short Film Festival 2024/2025 Selection
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THE DESCENDANT (2025) - Writer, DP, Director

Genre: Period Drama, Psychological Thriller

Bound by blood but divided by time, a Joseon king sees visions of his future descendant, one who will bring ruin to his legacy. Desperate to alter fate, he makes a choice that will seal his legacy forever.

A tale between the king of the Joseon Dynasty era and his descendant from modern day Korea collide in this tale of legacy, madness, and an unthinkable choice that will shape history. Currently in its festival run!

ONE MINUTE IN HELL (2023) - Writer & Director

Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Student

A brother takes his younger ten-year-old sister, who is doubting her dream, to "The Box", where you can meet your future self. How will her future self turn out?


"I believe our lives as children begin with a dream and end with death; these are the themes I wanted to explore with this film. One Minute in Hell is my first film that tells a Korean story - the first of many Korean films I would like to make using my Korean voice."

- Goyang Moving Image Festival 2024 Best Short Film Winner!
- Setting Sun Film Festival 2025 Best Emerging Finalist

- Canberra Short Film Festival 2024 Selection
- Melbourne Science Fiction Film Festival 2025 Selection
- Sparrowland Short Film 2025 Festival Selection

- Golden Short Film Festival 2024/2025 Selection

THE LOVE AFTERMATH (2022) - Writer, DP, Director

Genre: Romance, Poem

In the absence of another, Brahms becomes obsessed to forget and let go...

The Saudade Trilogy: Cascade (2019), Coffee Lover (2021) and 831/The Love Aftermath (2022) explore themes of obsession, absence and letting go.

COFFEE LOVER (2021) - Writer, Producer, Director

Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, Student

In a world where cloning exists, a young barista is rejected by a customer who caught his eye. He can’t have her, but maybe he could clone her?

Coffee Lover is about la douleur exquise and the misuse of technology.


- Sanctuary International Film Festival 2021 Best Director Winner
- Space Brains SciFi Film Festival 2022 Best Science Element Winner
- North Bellarine Film Festival 2021 Emerging Filmmaker Award Finalist​
- Under The Stars International Film Festival 2022 InkTip Prize Winner
- Under The Stars International Film Festival 2021 Annual Finalist:

Best Student Short. Best Fantasy Sci-Fi Movie, Best Supporting Actress - Kathy Starvaggi
- Space Brains SciFi Film Festival 2022 Finalist:
Best Short Film, Best Student Film, Best Female Actor - Majella Davis
- Romance Rules Film Festival August 2021 Finalist:
Best Romance Short Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Editing​
- Screen It International Film Festival 2022 Finalist:
Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Performance - Maggie Rose
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- Warburton Film Festival 2022 Show Us Your Shorts Finalist
- Changing Face International Film Festival August 2021 Semi Finalist
- Full list of selections at the bottom of the page

CASCADE (2019) - Writer & Director

Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Student

Tessa invents the Cascade - a time travel device. After an accident sends her husband Elias back in time, Tessa becomes obsessed with bringing Elias back.

​Cascade explores themes of moving on and how the effects of obsession if not accepted can cascade through time.

​- ​Under the Stars International Festival 2019 Selection

WORTH IT (2019) - Writer, Producer, Director

Genre: Documentary, Sports, Student

To uncover what it means to pursue a dream, former professional cricket player Pratik Churi unveils following a career path that stems from your own passion is the best path. Quitting engineering for sports, building a mindset capable of achieving anything and overcoming set expectations from parents are all part of “Worth It”.

​​- Shared by SBS
- Watch on SBS On Demand
- 2020 ATOM Awards – Best Tertiary Documentary Finalist

AWARDS

 - White Lies (2024):
North Bellarine Film Festival 2024 Emerging Filmmaker Award Winner
Red Sands Film Festival 2025 Best Actor Winner
Red Sands Film Festival 2025 Finalist: Best Film, Best Director
Warburton Film Festival 2025 Show Us Your Shorts Merit Award

WTF Festival Selection


- One Minute in Hell (2023):
Goyang Moving Image Festival 2024 Best Short Film Winner
Setting Sun Film Festival 2025 Best Emerging Finalist

Canberra Short Film Festival 2024 Selection
Melbourne Science Fiction Film Festival 2025 Selection
Sparrowland Short Film 2025 Festival Selection

Golden Short Film Festival 2024/2025 Selection

- Coffee Lover (2021):
Sanctuary International Film Festival 2021 Best Director Winner
Space Brains SciFi Film Festival 2022 Best Science Element Winner
North Bellarine Film Festival 2021 Emerging Filmmaker Award Finalist​
Under The Stars International Film Festival 2022 InkTip Prize Winner
Under The Stars International Film Festival 2021 Annual Finalist:
​- 
Best Student Short, Best Fantasy Sci-Fi Movie, Best Supporting Actress - Kathy Starvaggi
Space Brains SciFi Film Festival 2022 Finalist:
- Best Short Film, Best Student Film, Best Female Actor - Majella Davis
​
Romance Rules Film Festival August 2021 Finalist:
- Best Romance Short Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Editing
Screen It International Film Festival 2022 Finalist:
Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Performance - Maggie Rose
​
Warburton Film Festival 2022 Show Us Your Shorts Merit Award
Changing Face International Film Festival August 2021 Semi Finalist
Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival 2021 Selection
Ealing Film Festival 2021 Selection
Golden Short Film Festival 2021/2022 Selection
Las Cruces International Film Festival 2022 Selection
Sci-Fi Gainesville 2022 Selection

Seattle Wine and Film Festival 2022 Selection
​Nassau Film Festival 2022 Selection

- Worth It (2019):
2020 ATOM Awards – Best Tertiary Documentary Finalist

​- Cascade (2019):
Under the Stars International Festival 2019 Selection

CREDITS

- 2025: Writer/DP/Director - The Descendant, short film, 6 minutes
- 2024: Writer/DP/Director - White Lies, short film, 7 minutes
- 2023: Writer/Director - One Minute in Hell, short film, 18 minutes
- 2023: DP - Within the House, short film, 8 minutes
- 2022: Writer/DP/Director - 831/The Love Aftermath, short film, 2 minutes
- 2022: Director - The Scent of a Killer, short film, 25 minutes, watch here
- 2021: Writer/Producer/Director – Coffee Lover, short film, 12 minutes
- 2021: 1st Assistant Director - Happy Place, short film
- 2020: Writer/Producer/Director – The Coffee Lover, documentary film, 30 minutes
- 2020: Producer – Black Hearts, short film, 20 minutes, watch here here
- 2019: 1st Assistant Director – Genesis, short film, 15 minutes
- 2019: Writer/Host – Left Field, short live show, 14 minutes
- 2019: Writer/Director – Cascade, short film, 9 minutes
- 2019: Director – Cell Block C News, short fictional show, 5 minutes
- 2019: Writer/Producer/Director – Worth It, short documentary film, 6 minutes
- 2019: Writer/DP/Director – The Scars in Our Eyes, short film, 2 minutes
- 2018, 1st Assistant Camera – Lads for Life, short film
- 2018, Writer/DP/Director – Lady Called Grady, short film, 2 minutes
- 2018, Gaffer/Production Assistant – The Rainbow Socks, short film

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Victorian College of the Arts - University of Melbourne, 2023
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours), Film and Television
- First Class Honours, Weighted Average Mark: 81.25
- Conducted research on ‘The Challenges of Making a Korean Short Film as a Korean-Australian Filmmaker’ through a practice-led research. 
Read my paper on Academia.
- Film: One Minute in Hell (2023).

Deakin University, 2018-2020
- Bachelor of Film, Television and Animation
- Graduated with High Distinction, Weighted Average Mark: 81.
- Undergraduate representative for the Bachelor of Film, TV and Animation Advisory Board in 2019 & 2020.
- Films: Worth It (2019), Cascade (2019), Coffee Lover (2021).
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