Latest news with #filmproducer
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chua Lam, legendary Hong Kong food critic and filmmaker, dies at 83
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Renowned food critic, columnist, and film producer Chua Lam, celebrated as one of the 'Four Talents of Hong Kong,' passed away on Wednesday at the age of 83, according to the South China Morning Post. A statement on his official Facebook page confirmed his death at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, surrounded by family and friends. Per his wishes, no ceremony was held, and his body was cremated to avoid inconveniencing loved ones. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), born in Singapore in 1941, Chua's illustrious career spanned multiple fields, leaving a lasting mark on Hong Kong's cultural and culinary landscapes. At just 14, he published his first article in Nanyang Siang Pau. He later moved to Japan to study film and settled in Hong Kong in 1963, where he worked with iconic studios like Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. Among his notable film productions were Jackie Chan's Wheels on Meals, Armour of God, and Mr Nice Guy. Chua was a celebrated figure in food journalism, known for his discerning palate and dedication to uncovering the finest culinary experiences. He authored numerous travel journals and food critiques and hosted acclaimed shows such as Celebrity Talk Show, which featured Hong Kong's biggest stars of the era, including Leslie Cheung and Maggie Cheung. SCMP in its report said that in addition to his columns and books, Chua organised culinary tours across Asia and the world, sampling multiple dishes daily to identify and recommend the best local specialities. His influence extended to consulting on popular food documentaries such as A Bite of China and Once Upon a Bite. Despite personal challenges, including a severe hip injury and the loss of his wife in recent years, Chua continued to inspire through his reflections on life and food. His final memoir, Lived, released earlier this year, shared his vibrant experiences, resilience, and deep appreciation for gastronomy. According to the report, Chua's contributions earned him a place among the 'Four Talents of Hong Kong,' alongside literary and cultural giants Jin Yong, Ni Kuang, and James Wong. His legacy continues to shape the city's cultural and culinary heritage, marking the end of an era in Hong Kong's entertainment and food scene.
Malay Mail
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Chua Lam, legendary Hong Kong food critic and filmmaker, dies at 83
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Renowned food critic, columnist, and film producer Chua Lam, celebrated as one of the 'Four Talents of Hong Kong,' passed away on Wednesday at the age of 83, according to the South China Morning Post. A statement on his official Facebook page confirmed his death at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, surrounded by family and friends. Per his wishes, no ceremony was held, and his body was cremated to avoid inconveniencing loved ones. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), born in Singapore in 1941, Chua's illustrious career spanned multiple fields, leaving a lasting mark on Hong Kong's cultural and culinary landscapes. At just 14, he published his first article in Nanyang Siang Pau. He later moved to Japan to study film and settled in Hong Kong in 1963, where he worked with iconic studios like Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. Among his notable film productions were Jackie Chan's Wheels on Meals, Armour of God, and Mr Nice Guy. Chua was a celebrated figure in food journalism, known for his discerning palate and dedication to uncovering the finest culinary experiences. He authored numerous travel journals and food critiques and hosted acclaimed shows such as Celebrity Talk Show, which featured Hong Kong's biggest stars of the era, including Leslie Cheung and Maggie Cheung. SCMP in its report said that in addition to his columns and books, Chua organised culinary tours across Asia and the world, sampling multiple dishes daily to identify and recommend the best local specialities. His influence extended to consulting on popular food documentaries such as A Bite of China and Once Upon a Bite. Despite personal challenges, including a severe hip injury and the loss of his wife in recent years, Chua continued to inspire through his reflections on life and food. His final memoir, Lived, released earlier this year, shared his vibrant experiences, resilience, and deep appreciation for gastronomy. According to the report, Chua's contributions earned him a place among the 'Four Talents of Hong Kong,' alongside literary and cultural giants Jin Yong, Ni Kuang, and James Wong. His legacy continues to shape the city's cultural and culinary heritage, marking the end of an era in Hong Kong's entertainment and food scene.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Aussie film legend who produced The Flying Doctors and Cop Shop dies after long cancer battle
Legendary Australian film producer Ian Crawford died on Wednesday aged 91 after a long battle with spinal cancer. He was the son of pioneering Australian film producer Dorothy Crawford, who founded Crawford Productions, and followed his mother's footsteps into the industry. Crawford Productions was founded in 1945 and was one of Australia's most renowned film production companies for many years, making some of the country's most beloved shows. His death was confirmed in a heartbreaking social media statement from a family member. 'Very sad to report the passing this morning at 9.00 of Ian Crawford,' they began. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'He died peacefully with family and loved ones at his bedside. He was 91.' Last month, his wife Carole shared a heartbreaking update to social media revealing her husband's health had taken a downturn and he had been hospitalised in Melbourne. 'Ian is in palliative care at Cabrini in Malvern after weeks of really bad back pain. They have discovered he has cancer of the spine which has now spread to his stomach,' Carole wrote. 'He is being looked after every moment by the staff and especially by his children and the whole family. 'Any notes or well wishes you would like passed on can be left in the comments below and they will be shared with Ian.' Heartbroken fans took to social media to pay tribute to Crawford. 'RIP Ian. Sending condolences to the Crawford family,' one person wrote. 'I loved his shows. They kept me entertained,' a second added. Across a three-decade plus career in the industry spanning from the '50s to the '80s, Crawford helped create some of Australia's most beloved TV shows. This included producing the ground-breaking police procedurals Division 4 and Cop Shop, as well as beloved drama The Flying Doctors. He also directed many TV shows, including episodes of The Last of the Australians, Matlock Police and Skyways. Crawford worked with many of Australia's most beloved actors throughout his career, including John Farnham, Rebecca Gibney and Sigrid Thornton. He is survived by his wife Carole and their two children, son Chris and daughter Anna, who acted in several of his shows including The Flying Doctors and Cop Shop.
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
AI has a role to play in Arab cinema, but not as actor or director
Not long ago, I sat with a film producer in Abu Dhabi, who showed me an AI-generated storyboard that would have taken his team weeks to create manually. It wasn't perfect, but it sparked an idea. He told me: 'It doesn't replace my team. It saves us time to think bigger.' That sentiment captures where we are right now. AI is not the villain in this story. But it's also not the hero. It's a tool, and the question is whether we will use it to amplify our voice or allow it to dilute it. Across the Gulf, the film industry is undergoing a transformation. With large-scale investments in production infrastructure, regional funding initiatives and a growing appetite for homegrown stories, the GCC is building something rare: a cinema culture born in the digital age. And that's where AI comes in. Not as a director, but as a co-pilot. In the UAE, we are already seeing this shift. AI is helping speed up the post-production process, making subtitling and dubbing more accessible across languages and dialects, and even assisting with location scouting and script breakdowns. For a region working to scale its content output and export its stories globally, these efficiencies matter. They allow our filmmakers to focus on creativity, not constraints. Zoom out across the GCC, and the opportunity expands. Saudi Arabia, for instance, is building a cinema industry nearly from scratch, which is digitally native, forward-looking, and unburdened by legacy systems. AI can help Saudi filmmakers leapfrog traditional barriers. Imagine a first-time director using AI to pre-visualise a war scene or to deconstruct a script into production-ready schedules in hours instead of weeks. Egypt, which is considered the beating heart of Arab cinema, is at a more complicated crossroads. On the one hand, today's stars like Ahmed Helmy, Menna Shalabi and Mona Zaki are building on the legacy of evergreen figures like Omar Sharif, Faten Hamama, Adel Imam and Youssef Chahine. On the other hand, the industry is facing disruption from a new wave of AI-generated content on social media that mimics Egyptian cinematic style but, at least for now, lacks depth, subtext and the emotional soul that makes real cinema resonate. A recent example is Lammet Zaman, an AI-generated project that digitally resurrected the voices and likenesses of Egyptian cinema figures. As I was born in the 1980s, the video put a smile on my face and took me back in time. However, it also ignited debates around the ethics of digitally recreating deceased artists without consent, raising questions about authenticity and the boundaries of AI in preserving cultural heritage. This is where lessons from Hollywood are useful. Take The Irishman, where Martin Scorsese used VFX and AI-assisted de-ageing to allow Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci to play younger versions of themselves across several decades. The result was visually impressive but expensive. Similarly, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny de-aged Harrison Ford for an extended flashback sequence. While the visuals were groundbreaking, something felt off, as if the emotions weren't quite ringing true. These examples highlight something important: just because we can use AI to replicate youth, generate faces, or rewrite scenes, it doesn't always mean we should. In the digital age, technology can sharpen the image, but only people can deliver the performance. That's the line Arab cinema must walk. Do we let AI churn out synthetic stories for clicks, or do we use it to unlock ideas and formats we previously couldn't afford to make? The answer lies in balance. And the way forward is to upskill creatives to use AI, protect human storytelling with clear standards around transparency and credit, and fund bold experimentation where AI helps us tell interactive stories, reimagine Arab folklore, or bring our archives to life. Projects like A Story Called Zain, the region's first AI-generated and crowdsourced social media activation by Image Nation Abu Dhabi Digital team, prove that when AI is used with purpose, it doesn't replace the human voice, it amplifies it. Egypt, with its history, can help ground this new era in depth and heritage. The GCC, with its resources, creative pool and ambitions, can push the form forward. Together, we can build an industry that fuses the best of our past with the tools of the future. AI may help us move faster, but it's up to us to decide where we are going. Because no matter how advanced the tech, stories still begin with a human instinct: to feel, to remember, and to be seen.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Child star who went nude with Nicole Kidman has ditched fame for fishing in shocking transformation
The former child star Cameron Bright has undergone a dramatic transformation in the years since he starred in a nude scene with Nicole Kidman in a controversial film. The actor, now 32, appeared in a 'creepy' bathtub sequence with the actress, now 57, in the 2004 psychological thriller Birth, and was later involved in smaller projects, and starred in three installments of The Twilight Saga. But he has since stepped away from the limelight and taken up fishing as he occasionally shows off his catches on social media. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Around four years ago, he opened up about wanting to become a film producer and shared an Instagram post of a script he was working on with a friend. But he has since moved into video game streaming on Twitch, lives in Vancouver Island, Canada after leaving Hollywood behind. In February, he shared photos of himself fishing and showing off his haul on a boat as he bundled up against the chilly weather. Over two decades ago, the film he starred in alongside Kidman was the subject of controversy due to the bathtub scene, which many critics called 'creepy'. Birth follows Kidman's character Anna, a widow who is planning to marry her boyfriend Joseph (Danny Huston) about 10 years after her late husband Sean's death. But on the night of her engagement party a young boy also named Sean arrives to tell her his her late husband reincarnated. At first, she ignores him but when he reveals his uncanny knowledge of her former husband's life, she starts to believe that he could be telling her the truth. Last year Nicole spoke about the movie directed by Jonathan Glazer and said she does not agree it was 'strange' and 'unsettling.' 'I just have an enormous amount of trust,' she told the Los Angeles Times in April 2024. 'I will just go places and align with people and go, "Here I am. I'm yours. We'll live and die together."' Cameron also played the Volturi vampire Alec, twin brother to Jane, who is played by Dakota Fanning, in the Twilight films New Moon (2009), Eclipse (2010), and Breaking Dawn, Part II (2012).
