Christine Yoo is a non-fiction TV producer, independent filmmaker and volunteer at San Quentin State Prison. As a TV producer, she has worked on series for National Geographic, History, Oxygen, KCET/PBS, LinkTV and The Africa Channel. As an independent filmmaker, she is committed to telling stories of the under-represented.
She is currently in post-production on her first feature documentary, “26.2 to Life: The San Quentin Prison Marathon,” which she shot independently inside the prison for over three years. She is a Logan Non-Fiction Fellow and has received grants from the Rogovy Foundation and recently a Sundance x Marshall Project grant for a new short that continues her work to tell the human impact of mass incarceration inside San Quentin. Christine got her start in narrative filmmaking.
She co-wrote the anime series ”Afro Samurai” starring Samuel L. Jackson for Spike/Fuji TV and her original feature screenplay ”For Steppers Only,” also featuring a diverse cast, was optioned by Lionsgate. Her thesis film “Yellow Belle” was a coming of age story about growing up as a Korean-American in America’s South, which aired on POV and screened in the Busan International Film Festival as well as Asian American film festivals.
Her feature film debut “Wedding Palace” (2014), which she directed, produced and co-wrote, broke ground featuring an all Korean-American and Korean cast, won several festival awards, and was sponsored by Korean Air, Hyundai, Jinro/Hite and The Face Shop. When distributors told her that a rom-com featuring an all-Asian cast was not marketable, Christine self-distributed the film to US theaters in 6 major markets where it had a 14-week theatrical run. The film can now be seen streaming on Amazon and Warner VOD.
Since October 2020, she has also joined the Media Advisory Board for the Asian Culture & Media Alliance non-profit organization, where she has shared her knowledge and experience with young filmmakers and future creators alike.
