- Chinese Name: 李烈
- Born: March 29, 1958
- Place of Birth: Taipei (Northern Taiwan)
- Did You Know That …?
- Her television acting career began at the age of 19, upon the recommendations of veteran directors Huang Yi-gong (黃以功) and Lee Hsing (李行). It was a calculated move of survival, as her father had just passed away.
Lee Lieh is seen as one of the most efficient producers in the Taiwanese film industry, having made a string of profitable films boasting Taiwanese stars. These genre films range from the gangster drama "Monga (艋舺)" to the child-focused "Orz Boys (囧男孩)." The breadth of Lee's work means that she needs to master different skills and discover new information for each of them. She has said the learning process for each film makes the production an unforgettable experience for her.
Lee was born in 1958, and began her career as a film and television actor. In 2001, she became a TV producer, and, in 2008, the first film she produced was released. This was "Orz Boys," directed by Yang Ya-che (楊雅喆), who went on to make "The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful (血觀音)." Made with only NT$15 million, it was a surprise hit, making more than NT$33 million. Lee's work included casting and training the child actors.
In 2010, Lee produced "Monga," an action drama set in 1980s Taipei. The main characters are a group of teenaged gangsters who experience their childhoods ending as they are drawn into a fight over territory. It was released during the Lunar New Year holidays and became a massive box office hit, pulling in over NT$270 million. That made it Taiwan's third most financially successful Chinese-language film ever, behind only "Cape No. 7 (海角七號)" by Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) and "Lust, Caution (色戒)," directed by Ang Lee (李安). It was also screened at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and distributed to Australia, Germany, and France.
Lee didn't just see the success of "Monga" as a financial achievement, however. It was the first Taiwanese film released during Lunar New Year holidays for several years, and managed to recoup its expenses solely from the Taiwanese market. Following its great performance, Lee saw many local investors become bolder and more enthusiastic about supporting the Taiwanese film industry, which she took as a sign that its future might be more exciting than she had guessed.
Lee chalks the popularity of"Monga" up to its quality, and states that, though she makes genre films, she doesn't want to repeat clichés but instead wishes to truly communicate with audience members. Furthermore, Taiwan's talented young actors are a big part of the film industry's potential as well, she added.
Lee's interest in developing the Taiwanese film industry also extends to a desire to help cinema flourish in Taichung. This city is a good market for popular films, but has few places to see arthouse films, which makes it hard for an audience for this kind of cinema to grow. Lee is well aware that growth in popularity and importance doesn't happen overnight, or even over the course of a few years.
She points to the development of arthouse cinema in Taipei, or the importance of the Golden Horse Awards, as things which took time to bear fruit. However, she is optimistic that, if the Taichung City Government is willing to give the arthouse cinemas some time and support to establish themselves, they too can become an integral part of Taichung's cultural scene.