Leander Basannavar
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Leander Gadsby Basannavar (Lee) is a Los Angeles and London-based filmmaker. He
has worked on numerous motion pictures as a story editor/script "doctor" for major
studios Paramount, Warner Bros., Disney, Universal and Sony/Columbia, plus
companies such as Imagine Entertainment, Bregman Productions and Logos.
Lee was born and grew up in London, then came to the United States at the age of 18
to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Film program. At the age of
22, Lee was hired to script edit his first film, a comedy/western shot in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.
Since then, Lee has gone on to a prolific career as a script "doctor" and story editor,
plus written several original spec scripts.
Usually at the development stage of production, though in some cases during
principal photography, he has edited, reworked and restructured screenplays for a
number of different projects. Particular areas Lee specializes in are dialogue rewrites
(for example, British characters in a US script) and projects with a significant historical
element, whether factual or fictional (anything from Arthurian legend to World War II)
-Lee is known for his considerable expertise in these genres.
Lee has also written and directed short films, one of which, Briefing, won several
awards, and a gangster feature film set in London. He is currently in the development
stage on additional, original, projects, a thriller set before, during and after World War
II, a psychological action drama set in the Grand Canyon, a comedy/drama TV series
about private jet pilots, and a political drama which he will also direct.
Lee directed two television commercials in Cape Town, for BMW Southern Africa and
Castle Lager. He also worked with the ad agencies to create the narrative for both
commercials.
In 2002, Lee, with others, made a documentary at the World Cup in Japan and South
Korea. It followed England national football (soccer) team fans around Japan fly-onthe-wall
style. It aired primetime on the BBC at Christmas later that year.
