MY LIFE IN CHAPTERS, SIGHT UNSEEN (MLICSU)
Feature Film Documentary
Project Type: Feature Film Documentary
Project Status: Production
Writer, Director, and Producer: Virtic Emil Brown
Director of Photography: Henry Tuason
LOGLINE
From South Korea, to Idaho, a visually impaired artist chases a lifelong dream of performing and directing theater.
SYNOPSIS
Lee Pugsley is a legally blind actor, director, and writer whose life is a testament to resilience, creativity, and unwavering determination. Born in South Korea and brought to the United States as an infant, Lee spent his earliest years in foster care before being adopted by a single mother in Idaho. From childhood, he was captivated by storytelling, performing in school plays and community theater. At thirteen, he endured a heartbreaking loss when his mother was killed in a car accident, yet it was his love of performance and imagination that kept him moving forward. Told in chapters, the film weaves together disability, immigration, adoption, education, healthcare, artistic expression, cultural identity, musicals, the Asian American experience, and family. It is not only a portrait of one life, but a meditation on visibility, resilience, and the unfinished work of belonging in America. Along the way, our artist faces barriers, finds his voice and discovers what it truly means to be seen. (FYI this film has a musical component).
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT ABOUT THE PROJECT
This will be my fourth film exploring the experiences of the disabled community. My previous work includes directing two industrial films distributed by Easterseals and a short film with Lee. My Life in Chapters, Sight Unseen continues this exploration, delving into the lives of disabled artists navigating the entertainment industry. Through the story of Lee and other disabled performers, the documentary examines critical questions: How are disabled people seen, respected, and supported? What barriers exist between for those pursuing the arts? How does our health care system serve—or fail—the disabled community?
The film is structured in seven chapters, each reflecting a stage of Lee’s life and named after a musical number that corresponds with his journey. It highlights themes of identity, resilience, and visibility while unpacking the broader narrative of disabled artists in America.
Interviews will include artistic directors such as Tracy from Ensemble Studio LA, representatives from the Pasadena Playhouse, advocates like Nic Novicki, health practitioners including Dr. Wang (Wang Institute) and Dr. Lee (Eastern Medicine), as well as family, friends, and a range of visually impaired artists. Through these stories, the film emphasizes that disability is universal: statistically, every person will experience temporary or permanent disability, or care for a disabled family member, at some point in life.
By combining personal storytelling, theater, and music, My Life in Chapters, Sight Unseen illuminates the challenges, triumphs, and contributions of the disabled community in the arts—showing the world what is possible when visibility, opportunity, and creativity come together.
Meet The Filmmakers
-
VIRTIC EMIL BROWN
Writer/Director/Producer
Virtic Emil Brown is a writer, director, producer and actor whose work spans feature films, short films, documentaries, and theater. Her writing and directing credits include How to Make My Baby Free, The Antecedent Interventions and Consequence Strategies (Varona Productions & Easterseals), You’ll Never Meet My Friends (Cornucopia TV Series), Apartment 205 (play, The Vagrancy Theatre), Hindsight (Easterseals), Will Unplugged (with Bruce Glover and Randall Park), and the documentary short On Tour. On Tour marked her directorial debut and screened at the 70th Venice International Film Festival.
Her feature script FREE! was selected for the Sundance Institute’s Accessible Futures Initiative Lab and received the Institute’s Accessible Futures Initiative Award. She is currently directing the feature documentary MLICSU, which participated in the South East European (abrv. SEE) Film Festival Accelerator program. Ms. Brown has also worked on the Apple TV+ series Loot (three seasons).
As an actor, her credits include WIT (McCadden Theater), Harlem South (Grammy Museum), Light in Dark Places(Amazon), Without a Trace (CBS), The Shield (FX), The Human Spirit (The Odyssey Theatre), and How to Hack Birth Control. Additional film credits include Mission in Kosovo, You’ll Never Meet My New Friends, How to Make My Baby Free and Hindsight.
Brown has worked behind the scenes at the Academy Awards, serving as Press Guide Manager to over two thousand media outlets for the Oscars. She is active in the theater community as a Board Member of The Classical Theatre Lab and a member of Ensemble Studio Page 1 of 3 Theater/LA. She is also a member on multiple inclusion committees, including IWC, CBW, DWC, CWW, MEC, the Education Committee, and Genre Committee. A proud member of the disabled community, her work consistently centers accessibility and inclusive storytelling.
-
HENRY TUASON
Director of Photography
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Henry Tuason is a documentaryminded visual storyteller drawn to real people, lived experience, and the quiet details that reveal truth. His work sits at the intersection of image and empathy, using photography and film to observe rather than impose. Deeply rooted in his community, Henry has played an essential role in developing educational media programs for schools across Los Angeles, believing storytelling to be a tool for access, understanding, and social impact.
Working as a photographer and freelance videographer, Henry collaborates on films and sizzle reels with a focus on authenticity and character. His credits include MLICSU, L.A., I Kinda Like You, Hindsight, and Jacob Stone.
-
DELPHINE FIGUERAS
Delphine Figueras is the General Manager of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), where she plays a central role in advancing the organization’s mission and shaping its presence during awards season. Balancing strategic leadership with hands-on production, Delphine oversees the ASC’s high-profile events, including the ASC Awards and Clubhouse Conversations, helping position the ASC as a vital hub for cinematography culture and discourse.
Alongside ASC leadership, Delphine drives the organization’s event programming and editorial impact, particularly during awards season, when the ASC becomes a gathering place for the world’s leading cinematographers. She has been instrumental in the evolution of Clubhouse Conversations, which began as an in-person educational initiative and grew into a widely respected interview series spotlighting award-season projects. The series offers cinematographers a rare peer-to-peer space to discuss craft, process, and visual storytelling.
Delphine manages production and collaborates on writing, bringing meticulous attention and deep pride to the work and its impact on the industry. That impact is reflected in the reverence filmmakers such as James Cameron and Paul Thomas Anderson have expressed for American Cinematographer, citing it as a formative part of their film education—testimony to the lasting influence of the ASC and the care behind its stewardship.
Your Help
MLICSU is a fiscally sponsored project of Cinematography for Actors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation will be tax-deductible!