Tony Rayns

Tony Rayns is a London-based director, critic, and film festival programmer who has a deep interest in East Asian cinema. He has written articles on periodicals such as Sight & Sound, Cinema Scope, Film Comment, and Artforum; he has also written books on Korean, Chinese, and Japanese movies. He directed the documentary film The Jang Sun-Woo Variations (2001) and recently showed a love affair for East Asian films by publishing a book on Wang Ji-wi’s works on Hwa Jae-yun (2000). Tony Rayns worked as a programmer for the Vancouver International Film Festival from 1989 to 2016; he has selected East Asian films and led the competition for the Dragons & Tigers Awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival for 20 years. He helped launching the 1st Busan ​​International Film Festival, which started in 1996, and has continued to lead the Busan ​​International Film Festival as a Festival Advisor. He received the Kawata Awards in Japan in 2004 and another award from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 2008; he was recognized for his contributions to East Asian films.