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sonyaslee

@sonyaslee

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Producer-Director of ocean stories 🌊🎥
National Geographic Explorer @natgeosociety
Watch Our Ocean Table @ouroceantable
Fish Nerd 🐠l BTS 💜
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On being an underwater cinematographer and a Mother Filming A Special Little Fish with director Sonya Lee opened my eyes to how I can continue in my underwater cinematography career, share my joys (strange fish and my family) and share my vulnerability (shooting a documentary as sleep deprived new mom on an unfamiliar camera with a self-made underwater tripod rig). I didn’t think it would resonate with many people but buoy was I wrong, thank goodness for Sonya Lee’s foresight and for @luciusd ’s support! Seeing the legs this little film has grown has blown my mind. Next week our documentary goes to Wildscreen, any cinematographers dream. Am I terrified that an audience of professionals and peers will see me at my most vulnerable? Absolutely. Am I incredibly proud of what we made? Also yes Becoming a mother has given me the priceless gift of caring a lot less what people think. Parenthood has a funny way of both humbling you and reminding you of your worth. Sometimes my day is just outside of my control but I am also the centre of a tiny human’s world; my body brought her into being, nourished her exclusively for a time and now provides a safe place and guidance. I hope we can hear from and share stories of more parents (dads included!) in similar careers. Please reach out to me if you want somebody to talk to, share frustrations, ask any questions or just gab 💜 A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring this project to life - we couldn’t have done it without you @sonyaslee @planktonproductions @kate_msmith @non.dairy.milk @annesaintlouis @diannaparry @ramsaypictures @soyoung_colorist @deepaaaar @cbcdocs @luciusd @chesleygirl @russell.john.clark And thank you to my husband Tim for always encouraging me, solving one million technical problems and being the best dad and adventure partner ever ❤️ See you @wildscreenorg in Bath this October! #PandaAwards2026 #WSF26 #Wildscreen #Nominee Ps. If you can identify all the marine species I’ve used to cover the face of my child you get bonus points and 2 high fives next time I see you 👏
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We were so excited to feature these incredible filmmakers to celebrate our 30th anniversary this year. Here is the final look at our #VAFF30 photo shoot! You will be seeing these faces on posters throughout the city, in our festival program, and at the festival in November! Full festival schedule coming soon. Thank you to our VAFF at 30 filmmakers: Agam Darshi Andrea Bang Andy Wong Arnold Lim Ava Maria Safai Baljit Sangra Brian Cheung Barbara Lee Chan Brothers (Caleb Chan and Brian Chan) Danny Berish Diana Bang Jason Karman Jeff Chiba Stearns Jenny Lee Gilmore Jon Chiang Josh Aries Julia Kwan Karen Lam Kat Jayme Kevin Ang Kevin Jin Kwan Kim Mayumi Yoshida Nach Dudsdeemaytha Milton Ng Osric Chau Panta Mosleh Phil Planta Ryan Mah Sonya Lee Soo Min Park Vivian Cheung Ying Wang Key Creative Production Team: Photographer: Phillip Chin Graphic Designer Lead: Jessica Ruiz HMU: Sophia Maxwell and Sam Kronstal Concept Direction & Producer: Regina Leung Social Media Manager: Joyce Lam Production associates: Louis Poulain and Khanh Nguyen BTS photographer: Matthew Liu BTS videographer: Kyungwoo Lim BTS video editor: Louis Poulain Venue Partner: Big Baby Film Rentals #filmmakers #AsiansinFilm #DiversityinFilm #Vancouver
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The ALT EFF Official Selections 2026 for International Shorts are here! 🎬 Swipe through to discover the films that have made it to this year’s programme. A Clawsome Tale (Lucie Machin / UK / 22 mins / English / 2025) A whimsical tale of Lowenna - the lobster, from the lab to the sea! Through Lowenna’s journey through hatchery, and her offsprings’, who start their lives at the lab before being released back in the ocean - the film reveals an extraordinary project underway to prevent the collapse of European Lobsters. It’s playful, quirky storytelling mixed with marine conservation education. Oh! And talking Lobsters! @aclawsometale @lucie.machin A Special Little Fish (Sonya Lee / Canada / 17 mins / English / 2025) Tiare re-explored her backyard and found wonders. You should too. Underwater cinematographer and a new-mother, Tiare Boyes takes her camera to her backyard Creek. With her child-like wonder, she seeks for creatures that inspired her professional career, and reflects onto her curiosity and journey into parenthood. She inspires you to explore your surroundings & open your doors to your wildlife neighbours. @sonyaslee, @tiarebuoys Architects of the Earth (Elise Orlowski / Togo, Benin, USA / 27 mins / English, French / 2025) Truly sustainable architecture in a West African community Through intimate and diverse anecdotes from the Batammariba tribe, the film showcases their traditional architecture - Takienta, which is a UNESCO Heritage. Takienta has answers to climate change, reflects the relationship of the community to their environment, and platforms how modernity & tradition can sync mutually towards conservation in this ever-changing world. Cone (Ji-in Yoo / Republic of Korea / 16 mins / Korean / 2024) All he wants to do is enjoy his ice cream. A seven-year old boy is on a mission to reduce waste, save plastic, and make any small efforts he can because his favourite TV show is going to give him a reward for it. But how does he face the lukewarm interest of his parents and the people around him? @sending._.you, @if_ji Hidden Paradise (Kawin Sirichantakul / Thailand / 15 mins / Thai / 2026) A race against time for two friends an
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🎬 OUR OCEAN TABLE OFFICIAL SELECTION | BCEFF 2026 What if protecting the ocean begins with the food that connects us to home? Inspired by iconic Korean seafood dishes, filmmaker Sonya Lee and journalist Hannah Sung explore how culture, immigrant identity and food can inspire ocean conservation. In *Leaving Familiar Shores*, they investigate the seafood inside soondubu jjigae, join sustainable prawn fishers in Vancouver and bring their catch to Korean-Canadian chefs for a conversation around the traditional bapsang. Directed by Sonya Lee and Jon Chiang. 🎞 Canada | 22 min | Documentary 🌎 ONLINE FESTIVAL 📅 November 1–30, 2026 One pass. One full month of environmental cinema. 🎥 IN-PERSON AWARDS SCREENING 📅 November 22, 2026 📍 UBC, Vancouver BCEFF award-winning films will also screen in person. 🎟️ Early Bird passes are available now. 🔗 Link in bio | BCEFF.org Film: @ouroceantable @sonyaslee @jonchiang @pdlight @joannaclairewong @jugaadsisters Partners: @rebctravel @centreforoceanliteracy @creativebcs @Telefilm_Canada @wildhorizonsafrica @aeffestival #BCEFF #OurOceanTable #SustainableSeafood #OceanConservation #KoreanCanadian
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🌊 MEET THE FILMS OF OUR OCEAN FILM FEST 2026 Eight films. Eight unique perspectives. One shared connection: Our Ocean. This year’s program takes you on a cinematic journey from the waters of BC to French Polynesia, Korea and beyond, bringing Canadian and international filmmakers together to explore adventure, conservation, culture, exploration and the powerful connections between people and the ocean. From Indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions to marine conservation, sustainability, personal journeys and underwater exploration. 🎬 FILM PROGRAM 🌊 Noé Cantaloube’s Homecoming. A film by Eric Wittkopf. ⛵ Comes in waves. A film by Theda Acha. 🛶 Namaxsala – Making New History. A documentary by Nanwakolas Council. 🌿 Send Kelp. Written and directed by Blake McWilliam. 🪼 Ephemeros: Fleeting Beings. A film by Luca Keller and Julia Baumgartner, Underwater Lunatics. 🐟 Our Ocean Table. By filmmaker Sonya Lee and journalist Hannah Sung. ⚓ Beyond Liberty. A film by Luca Keller. 🌊 In the Shallows. A film by Peter Mieras. 🎟️ Get your tickets and join us at Our Ocean Film Fest 2026 🇨🇦 ❤️When you buy a ticket, you’re supporting local and helping us continue to support local ocean causes and the organisations working to protect the waters and communities we call home. 🌊 See the films. Meet the filmmakers. Support local. Keep our ocean stories moving forward: ouroceanfilmfest.ca 👆🏼🔗link in bio Nanaimo 💙Victoria 💙Squamish💙North Vancouver, see you soon! #ouroceanfilmfest #supportlocal #proudlycanadian #loveocean #oceanfilms
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🐟 OFFICIAL SELECTION | BCEFF 2026 What if one of the world’s most unique fish was living in a small stream right in our backyard? 🎬 A SPECIAL LITTLE FISH Directed by Sonya Lee 🇨🇦 Canada | Short | 16:51 Underwater camerawoman Tiare Boyes returns to Morrison Creek on Vancouver Island in search of an extraordinary endangered fish found nowhere else on Earth: the Morrison Creek lamprey. Through striking underwater cinematography, A Special Little Fish reveals the hidden life of this ancient species while weaving together a deeply human story of motherhood, community, resilience, conservation and rediscovery. 🌎 BCEFF ONLINE FESTIVAL November 1–30, 2026 🎥 BCEFF IN PERSON November 22, 2026 | UBC, Vancouver 🎟️ Early Bird tickets are available now. 🎬 Filmmakers — submissions are still open until September 30. 🔗 Tickets + submissions: Link in bio or BCEFF.org @sonyaslee @tiarebuoys @planktonproductions @rebctravel @centreforoceanliteracy @creativebcs @Telefilm_Canada @wildhorizonsafrica @aeffestival #BCEFF #ASpecialLittleFish #EnvironmentalFilm #CanadianFilm #VancouverIsland #Conservation #EndangeredSpecies #Freshwater #WildlifeFilm #DocumentaryFilm #FilmFestival #FilmSubmissions
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Some of the most powerful stories are told in the shortest time 🎞️ The Short Award celebrates outstanding short-form natural history films that captivate, inspire and leave a lasting impression, proving that powerful storytelling can happen in just a few minutes. And the nominees are... 🐟 A Special Little Fish - Produced by @planktonproductions for CBC Short Docs. (@sonyaslee) 🐵 I’ll Need to Leave For a Little While - A collaborative project between Malaysian and Vietnamese filmmakers, supported by the @studiobluegreenhq Fund. (@mylespstorey @ndtuanhwild @l.am.ha @bright.ong) 🐻‍❄️ Between Breaths - A Between Breaths Production. (@jozefkaut @florian_ledoux_photographer) 🦎 Chameleon Corridors (@chameleoncorridors) - A @myworldfilmfund film by @afrisos in co-production with @schoolyardfilms and Amberjack Films. (@jiganatra) 🔗 See the full list of nominees and get your tickets to the Panda Awards Ceremony via the link in our bio. #Wildscreen #PandaAwards2026 #WSF26 #ShortFilms #Nominees
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Celebrating the future of natural world storytelling 🌟 The Emerging Talent Award recognises the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers whose creativity, passion and fresh perspectives are shaping the future of the industry. Meet this year’s nominees... 🐵 I’ll Need to Leave For a Little While - A collaborative project between Malaysian and Vietnamese filmmakers, supported by the @studiobluegreenhq Fund. Emerging Talent: Myles Storey (@mylespstorey) 🐎 Wildermiss - An independent film by Anouk Suntjens. Emerging Talent: Anouk Suntjens (@anouksuntjens) 🐟 A Special Little Fish - Produced by @planktonproductions for CBC Short Docs. Emerging Talent: Sonya Lee (@sonyaslee) 🦎 Chameleon Corridors (@chameleoncorridors) - A @myworldfilmfund film by AFRISOS in co-production with @schoolyardfilms and Amberjack Films. Emerging Talent: Jigar Ganatra (@jiganatra) 🔗 See the full list of nominees and get your tickets to the Panda Awards Ceremony via the link in our bio. #Wildscreen #PandaAwards2026 #WSF26 #EmergingTalent #Nominees
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Grateful to have joined the team behind Tastes Like Home as the unit stills photographer. 📸 This CBC Short Doc, produced by Sonya Lee, follows Chef J at Jinmi Korean Restaurant as he shares the story behind ganjang gejang (soy-marinated raw crab), made with crab sourced from Korea. Working alongside such a talented crew made the experience even better—Brian Ceci (DOP), Israel Seoane (Gaffer), Heraldo Abreu (Location Sound), Helen Wong (1st AC), and the entire staff at Jinmi were an absolute pleasure to work with. There’s a bit of a rhythm to working on set. Most of the time you’re hanging back, watching the scene unfold, then jumping in when there’s an opening. It’s a fun challenge, and one of my favourite parts of set stills photography. Thanks again to everyone for having me. Looking forward to seeing the finished film.
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More photos from our time at @leoawardsbc! Thank you to the whole team for such a memorable night. We picked up this award for our incredible hosts, @sonyaslee and @hannsung, who were unable to attend (but very much with us in spirit!). Huge thank you to everyone who voted for us, and to all of the winners and nominees from the evening.
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We learned so much during this project. Each dish triggered a new understanding of Korean culture, our heritage, and our connection to the sea. This dish is from @jinmibychefj, where Chef J was kind enough to host us. Watch the full visit from Ep 3 of our ocean table, available on Telus Optik TV and CBC Gem.
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We're so grateful to get to share our project, and our passion for ocean conservation, with so many folks across Canada. Here are just a few of the outlets we had the honour of chatting with. Huge thank you to @penderpr for their incredible work! Our website is now updated with all the links if you'd like to read more 💕. Link in bio.
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