How a 'real-life encounter' with a ghost in Barcelona inspired Sook-Yin Lee's new film Octavio Is Dead

You might know Sook-Yin Lee best as a CBC broadcaster or as a former VJ on MuchMusic, but she's also a musician, a visual artist and an actor. Most recently, she's written and directed a new feature film called Octavio Is Dead.

In the film, you meet Tyler a young woman who becomes consumed by her estranged father's past. Octavio is a man she never knew and what Tyler ends up learning about him shocks her and challenges her. Octavio Is Dead is a story about family, love, identity and ghosts. For Lee, it's a story that comes from a personal place.

"It's a very unusual story, but — I often sort of joke about it — in some ways it's like a documentary," explains Lee. "It was inspired by a real-life encounter that I had with a ghost in Barcelona. And when that was happening to me, I knew, as a storyteller, this would make an amazing movie!"

Today, Lee joins guest host Laurie Brown live in the q studio to talk about her new feature film, which opens in select theatres on Friday, June 22. 

Listen to the full interview at the top of this post. 

— Produced by Cora Nijhawan