Lee Thean-jeen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968 or 1969 (age 55–56)[1] Penang, Malaysia |
| Other names | Li Tianren |
| Education | Penang Free School |
| Alma mater | Boston University's College of Communication |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Chinese name | |
| Chinese | 李天仁 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Lǐ Tiānrén |
| Jyutping | Lei5 Tin1 Jan4 |
| Hokkien POJ | Lí Thian-jîn |
| Tâi-lô | Lí Thian-jîn |
Lee Thean-jeen (born in 1968 or 1969)[2] is a Malaysian-born director, screenwriter and television showrunner based in Singapore. He is best known for the Mediacorp's Channel 5 drama series AlterAsians, The Singapore Short Story Project, The Pupil, Code Of Law, Zero Calling, Reunion and This Land Is Mine.
He has also written or co-written, and directed the feature films Homecoming, Love...and Other Bad Habits, Everybody's Business, Bring Back the Dead and The Big Day.
He was also a writer, director and executive producer on the Southeast Asian adaptation of the Scandinavian noir series, The Bridge for Viu and HBO Asia. In 2019, he created Singapore's first multilingual drama, 128 Circle.
He is currently the managing director of Weiyu Films, a self-founded content-creation and production company.[3]
Born in Penang, Malaysia, Lee attended Penang Free School, then graduated with a summa cum laude in Broadcasting And Film from Boston University's College of Communication.[4]
After graduating from college, Lee went to work for the then-Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, producing corporate videos,[4] before leaving to become one of the founding members of Film Formations, a Singapore-based production company.[5]
His first drama series, AlterAsians[6] (2000), an adaptation of short stories by Singaporean novelists into telemovies and shot on 16mm film, won several awards, including Best Single Drama or Telemovie at the Asian Television Awards 2000.[7][8]
A follow-up series of short story adaptations, The Singapore Short Story Project, won the Asian Television Award in 2003 for Best Drama Series[9] and again, in 2008, for Best Single Drama or Telemovie.[10]
The Pupil, a legal drama which he co-created, executive-produced, wrote, and directed was well received by local audiences and critics alike, winning two major awards at the 2010 Asian Television Awards: Best Actress In A Leading Role for Rebecca Lim and Best Actor In A Supporting Role for Lim Kay Tong.[11]
Code Of Law, a drama series on the criminal justice system in Singapore, has entered its fifth season, and spawned a universe of spin-off shows: Derek, its sequel Derek II and Forensik. All these shows have crossover characters and continuing storylines that culminate in 2020's Code Of Law: Final.
Zero Calling, a vigilante thriller based on a script by Lee, has entered its second season, after picking up a Best Actor award for its leading actor, Pierre Png, and a Silver Remi for Best TV Miniseries at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival.[12]
Lee was the first director to occupy Discovery Networks Asia's Documentary Director's Chair, a crossover programme for film and television filmmakers who have built a reputation for innovative, high-quality filmmaking to produce documentary work for Discovery Channel's global network.[13]
His first feature film, Homecoming, starring Jack Neo, Ah Niu, Afdlin Shauki and Rebecca Lim was one of the top-grossing local films in Singapore and Malaysia in 2011.[14]
More recently, he was co-executive producer and director on The Bridge, an Asian adaptation of the award-winning Scandinavian noir of the same name.[15]
He has appeared on The Straits Times' Power List in Entertainment, a barometer of the top ten most influential people in the local media industry.[16] In 2018, he was named in Variety as one of Singapore's 10 TV players to look out for.[17]
128 Circle Season 2
This Land Is Mine
The Bridge
Derek II
Divided 分裂
The Hush
Rise
Bring Back The Dead
Zero Calling
Code Of Law
The Pupil
Homecoming (笑着回家)
The Singapore Short Story Project
AlterAsians