Sonya Lee is a Korean-Canadian filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer dedicated to stories that intersect science, nature, people and culture. She applies impact-strategy and storytelling to engage new audiences in ocean issues.

With her production company, Plankton Productions, Sonya is currently focusing on projects that combine her love of food, her Korean culture and ocean conservation with her National Geographic grant and a 3 x 22 documentary series called “Our Ocean Table” co-produced with Jugaad Sisters for TELUS Originals and is a Finalist for the 2025 Jackson Wild Media Awards. She is also currently producing/directing a CBC Short Doc on endemic lampreys on Vancouver Island and exploring how to build productions around working moms and new parents in science and nature storytelling.

As a freelance producer-director, she focuses on ocean projects for CBC, PBS, ARTE, and Love Nature. Her latest film produced with River Road Films, “Jawsome: Canada’s Great White Sharks”, aired on CBC’s The Nature of Things in January 2024 and has been nominated by the Canadian Academy for Best Science and Nature Documentary or Series for the Canadian Screen Awards 2025. Retitled, “Sharks of the North”, the film was part of National Geographic Channel’s Sharkfest in 2025 and is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu in the US& Internationally.