CINEMA LEXZIKON PRODUCTIONS LLC
TAKE a look back....the visual time capsule of Cinema Lexzikon
Various bits and pieces of a film making legacy..
1986- Treasure of the Ninja
News spot
Shortly after the release of Robert Townsend's HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE, the media was predictably hungry for stories of aspiring Black filmmakers.
William Lee was one such movie mogul.
1988- William Lee In Depth
Excerpts from a half hour interview with WIlliam Lee, covering all aspects of filmmaking. The clip includes rare footage from two early Cinema Lexzikon film productions, TREASURE OF THE NINJA, and DRAGON VS. NINJA.
AT THE CROSS ROADS
In 1992, William Lee was given a lead by The Ohio Film Commission, about film investors looking for indie filmmakerrs to back.
In the end, Lee was scammed by a group known as Platinum Film Investments, A San Francisco organization, fronetd by a mysetry man who called himself RON PUCILLO.
In the end, Platinum bilked filmmakers all over the country out of almost one million dollars.
This misstep cost William Lee dearly, as he did not shoot a single film between 1993 and 2003.
Lee's enthusiasm in this interview was months before the real truth would hit home.
Room 13
After more than ten years of trial and error, working in traditional film production was financially out of reach, and kept Lee out of any official feature film production for a decade. In addition, William Lee had endured a near fatal bout with Systemic Lupus.
By 1999, lee had undergone numerous surgeries, a bout with chemotherapy, and a self induce journey to hell: An exhausting physical rehab program that got him out a wheelchair, and into a life as a certified personal trainer. Lee seemed content with his past cinematic accomplishments.
Then, the digital age came to fruition. . On a fateful day in 2000. William's wife Paula brought home an indie martial arts film from Blockbuster Video. Lee, who at the time had given up hope of a future in film, was reinvigorated when his wife held up the movie and said:
"William, if they can release this kind of shit, you need to be making movies again! You know you're way better than garbage!"
William left the age of celluloid film making and embarked on his first digital feature, ROOM 13: The Terrorist project.
He has not stopped making films since then, with half a dozen films now in worldwide release.