Adrian Teh

Watching the film Godzilla on the big screen at the tender age of 15 sparked the dream of becoming a filmmaker in Adrian The. His passion was so strong that he went against his parents' wishes to pursue his dream. He spent the next decade learning the ropes of the industry and became a graduate in film and broadcasting. Adrian The opted for a very unconventional route in his film-making career. According to him, he did "stuff that no one wants to do" - this included applying for a film making license and seeking advice from the legal and accounting professionals. He has recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Malaysian Awards 2017 (TOYM2016) under the Cultural Achievement category. In the following year, Adrian successfully made the cut for 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs (MIYE 2016) of the Year. Those recognized are deemed pioneers of their respective industry who also run incredible ventures - proving that there truly is no substitute for hard work, tenacity and some ingenuity to reach great heights. Adrian is one of the major player in local film industry. He founded and presided over the Chinese Film Association of Malaysia in 2012, and organized Malaysia's first-ever Malaysian Chinese Film Award, The Golden Wau Award, which took place on 15 October 2013 at the KL Hilton, he invited The Golden Horse Award of Taiwan's CEO, Mr Wen, to be the jury head for the event. The Golden Wau Award proved itself to be fundamental in the future collaborations between the local Chinese film market and the Taiwan film market. He has directed numerous Malaysian Chinese movies including "Ice Kacang Puppy Love" in 2009, which helped set the foundation for the then infantile but growing Malaysian Chinese film industry. "Ice Kacang Puppy Love" became the first Malaysian movie to be exported to Taiwan, Hong Kong and China - setting a precedent for all other Malaysian films to enter foreign markets. Adrian's biggest hits as a movie director remained "The Wedding Diary" movie series. The first Wedding Diary, starring Aniu and Elaine Kong, depicted how Singaporeans and Malaysians view marriage and weddings differently and how one's wealth, status and social levels can affect the bride, groom and their families. "The Wedding Diary" grossed over RM 4.2mil in Malaysia and was screened across Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan as well as China. In fact, the movie made history in China as it was shown in over 1,000 cinemas - making it the first Malaysian movie to reach that figure in China. The movie's sequel, "The Wedding Diary 2", was released during the peak Chinese New Year period and successfully raked in RM 4.6mil in the box office. This was despite contending against popular movies from Hong Kong and China. Adrian took up the role as executive producer and screenwriter for the Hong Kong horror movie "Hungry Ghost Rituals: Yu Lan Shen Gong" in 2014 - this is the same film that acclaimed Hong Kong actor Nick Cheung made his directorial debut. This marked the first-ever collaboration between a Malaysian company and the HK TV Station and was estimated to cost about HK$15mil to produce. The movie's opening day box office peaked at HK$1,187,310 and broke Hong Kong and Macau's non-holiday ghost film record. At the 27th Malaysia Film Festival Awards which took place in 2015, "The Hungry Ghost Ritual" was successfully nominated for a total of 10 awards. The latter led the night with two awards: Best Costume Design and Best Sound Mixing. He is an active filmmaker in both Malaysia and Singapore - the fact that he also directed "King of Mahjong" is a testament to that. "King of Mahjong", a Malaysian-Singaporean co-production which starred Chapman To, Mark Lee and Michelle Ye, went on to become the top grossing local film in 2015. The movie premiered in Malaysia on 26 February 2015. In mere 11 days of its release, "King of Mahjong" collected a whopping RM 4mil and peaked at a grand total of RM 6mil at the box office. It also beat 10 other Chinese movies to nab the spot of the top Chinese movie choice for cinema-goers during the four-day weekend in Malaysia. "King of Mahjong" also did well in Singapore; collecting almost SG$800,000 (RM 2.3mil) after 18 days of release. Adrian played the part as executive producer for Chapman To's directorial debut "Let's Eat!" in that same year. The film grossed RM 2mil in Malaysia and went on to be officially selected for the competition section of the 11th Osaka Asia Film Festival. Following that feat, Adrian went on to direct his next hit, "Goodbye Mr Loser" in 2017 - a remake of the RMB1.44 billion China blockbuster comedy of the same name. The film went on to be nominated at the Osaka Asian Film Festival ABC Awards as well as the Osaka Asian Film Festival Audience Award 2017. On top of that, "Goodbye Mr. Loser" made its world premiere at Japan's 2017 Osaka Asian Film Festival. 2017-2018, Adrian developed and produced "Paskal The Movie". This action film, featuring the elite force of the Royal Malaysian Navy's Pasukan Khas Laut (Paskal), tells the tale of Lieutenant Commander Arman Anwar who is pulled back to the special operation forces to complete one final mission following the loss of his teammate. The film was spurred by two actual events: Operation Dawn 8: Gulf of Aden, which took place in 2011, and a mission in 1998 where Paskal was a part of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission II (UNAVEM II). The film co-production became the most expensive local movie with its RM 10mil budget. However, "Paskal The Movie" turned out to be a huge success; which recorded RM30 million box office, the Former Chief Navy - Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin has expressed his utmost satisfaction with the production, after "Paskal The Movie" released on 27 September 2018 resulted 40% drastic increase in Royal Malaysian Navy recruitment. In additional, Sultan Nazrin who attended a special screening of the movie praised the film as "realistic and educational" with "great acting by a well-trained ensemble cast". Adrian views "Paskal The Movie" as far more than merely a Malay film; it is truly a Malaysian national film, based on the military action in this part of the world to evoke patriotism and strengthen our national spirit. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Kat Khoo