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 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]
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]
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]
Legacy
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]
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