Private Project

White Lies

It's Hooni's first day in Australia - will he be okay?
Perhaps with some lies, he will be...

Lost in a big new country, not quite understanding everything, but getting by just enough. Expectations are grander than reality.

A film made entirely by 1 actor and 1 filmmaker.

  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Director
    Coffee Lover, The Scent of a Killer
  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Writer
    Coffee Lover, One Minute in Hell
  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Producer
    Coffee Lover
  • Daniel Kim
    Key Cast
    "Hooni"
    One Minute in Hell
  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Director of Photography
    The Demon Within
  • Marcus Galic
    Composer
    Coffee Lover, Dance Class
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 28, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English, Korean
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • North Bellarine Film Festival
    North Bellarine
    Australia
    November 16, 2024
    Emerging Filmmaker Award Winner
  • Red Sands Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    June 29, 2025
    Best Actor Winner
Director Biography - Sam Sungmin Lee

Lee’s English and Korean first names, Sam Sungmin, side-by-side represent his voice as a multi-cultural and bi-lingual filmmaker.

With 'White Lies', Lee aims to explore elements such as moving overseas, living away from parents and of course, white lies.

'White Lies' was written, directed, photographed, edited, sound designed and mixed, entirely by Lee. This is also Lee's second Korean short film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"Technically, I aspired to truly push the limits of filmmaking with just myself, one actor and bare minimum gear: a single camera (Lumix GH5), a gimbal and a hidden lavalier microphone. That was exactly how we made 'White Lies'. It was actually all shot in one day within the city of Melbourne. Additionally, I wanted to capture the beauty of Melbourne, my home, through 'White Lies'.

Telling white lies and making things seem better than what they actually are. Trying to keep up appearances with parents, despite the reality. That is what ‘White Lies’ is all about." - Sam