After starring in films Yee turned to directing and screenwriting. He has written, directed, or produced the movies The Great Magician, Triple Tap, Shinjuku Incident, Protégé, Drink-Drank-Drunk, 2 Young, One Nite in Mongkok, Lost in Time, The Truth About Jane and Sam, Viva Erotica, Full Throttle, Endless Love, Overheard (and 2 & 3), The Bullet Vanishes, The Road Less Traveled, Crazy N’ the City, Electric Shadows, and Driving Miss Wealthy. Yee won Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards in 1996 and 2005. In both 1994 and 2005 he won Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Film Festival. Derek previously dated actress Maggie Cheung.