moua lee

Qhia Dab Neeg Spotlight Filmmaker

Moua Lee is a Hmong filmmaker, cinematographer, director, writer, and editor with more than thirty years of experience in film and video production. Inspired by movies he first encountered as a child in Laos, Lee later studied film and video production and began his professional career as a television photojournalist in Fresno, California. His first Hmong feature film, Xiong Po Ying, was filmed in Thailand, beginning a decades-long commitment to Hmong filmmaking. After moving to Minnesota in 1997, Lee worked as a television photojournalist before establishing Golden Path Entertainment Production and producing a series of independent Hmong films. Working during an era when filmmakers often handled every stage of production themselves—from writing and cinematography to directing, editing, distribution, and sales—Lee helped build a body of Hmong-produced cinema while encouraging younger filmmakers to develop their skills, pursue formal training, and take Hmong filmmaking to the next level.