james y. lee / 이유진 is a korean-american screenwriter, playwright, and critic from Northbrook, IL. they are studying radio/television/film with a playwriting concentration at Northwestern University.
their screenplays, plays, and essays have received finalist recognition for the Fletcher URG Prize at Northwestern University, and the inaugural Ray Bradbury Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy. their plays have been developed and performed at Northwestern University and the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, with mentorship from playwrights and screenwriters such as Exal Iraheta, Laura Schellhardt, Brett Neveu, and Julie Marie Myatt. they are a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
they are a film critic for Film Obsessive and Frame Rated (formerly for MovieBabble), and an affiliate member of the Chicago Indie Critics, as well as a voting member of the annual Dorian Awards. for their criticism, they have written hundreds of reviews from 2021 onwards, and covered the Sundance, New York, Tribeca, Telluride, Melbourne, and Chicago International Film Festivals, among numerous others.
professionally, they have also worked / are currently working as a programming intern at the Chicago International Film Festival, a development and production intern for companies such as Captivate Entertainment, and as a screenplay reader for the Austin Film Festival’s Script Competition.
at Northwestern, they are a Script Development Co-Chair of Studio 22 and was a Co-Playwriting Chair of Vertigo Productions, providing dedicated developmental support for student screenwriters and playwrights looking for production opportunities. they facilitated and supported each board’s script selection process, and taught an official University-approved Student Organized Seminar for Vertigo’s Ten-Minute Play Festival from 2025 to 2026.
you can contact them at jamesylee31@gmail.com. your emails will probably find them well. don’t sweat it.
James Y. Lee 