James Choi

James Choi is a Chicago-based filmmaker and producer whose work has premiered at South by Southwest, Tribeca, Slamdance and Chicago International Film Festival. He produced Made in China, which won the Grand Jury Award at SXSW and was distributed by IFC Films, and Saint Frances, which won the Audience Award, was distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories, and received nominations for two Gotham Awards and the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. His feature Before the Call, which he wrote and directed, premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2025. His screenplay All Things Considered was selected as one of five finalists from nearly 2,000 submissions in the Tubi × The Black List To Be Commissioned Initiative. In 2017, Choi founded Indie Studio, a program that finances and supports emerging filmmakers on their debut features. Its most recent film, Waiting for the Light to Change, won the Grand Jury Award for Best Feature at Slamdance in 2023. He has been recognized multiple times in Newcity's Film 50, which honors leading figures in Chicago film culture.