Tony Rayns (1948 to 2026)

Tony Rayns, the British film critic, programmer, translator and tireless advocate for East Asian cinema, has died at the age of 77. Widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in film culture, Rayns helped introduce generations of Western audiences to filmmakers from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan.

Born in 1948, he built a career as a film critic, starting out at the underground film magazine Cinema Rising. He wrote for Sight and Sound since the early 1970s, as well as its sister publication Monthly Film Bulletin from the 1970s to its final issue in 1991. He was also a regular reviewer for Time Out, where a capsule review of Joseph H. Lewis’s 1955 film noir The Big Combo ended with the memorable line: “As heady as amyl nitrate and as compulsive as stamping on insects.”

Developing a renowned expertise in East Asian cinema, he became a familiar presence at film festivals around the globe. He was an advisor to the BFI London Film Festival for many years, played a key role in the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Dragons and Tigers programme and was among the figures involved in the founding of the Busan International Film Festival, helping to bring Asian filmmakers to international attention.

Over several decades, Rayns championed directors including Wong Kar Wai, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Lee Chang-dong, Hong Sang-soo and Bong Joon Ho. He also worked extensively as a translator and subtitle writer, contributing English-language subtitles and contextual materials for numerous Asian films. His audio commentaries and essays became staples of prestigious home-video releases from companies such as Criterion and Eureka, earning him a reputation as one of cinema’s foremost interpreters and historians.

Filmmaker Jia Zhangke is among those paying tribute online, writing: “Dear Tony, you left before I could say ‘thank you’ or ‘I’m sorry’. Throughout the 28 years we knew each other, it was always me asking things of you. Whenever I reached out, it was almost always because I needed something – whether it was having you subtitle my films or seeking your advice on a problem. My work relied on you, yet I often neglected you. You travelled alone, watched movies alone, made the world your home alone, smoked alone, and carried your sorrows alone. I feel I should have called you more often – not to talk shop, but simply to ask, ‘How was your day?’ You were a free spirit in the realm of cinema, yet back in 1999, you told me: ‘You should always stay and work in your own country.’ I am in Yantai now, gazing at a sea blurred before my eyes.”

A second edition of Rayns’s BFI Classic on In the Mood for Love was published in 2025. His other books include editing a groundbreaking 1976 collection on Rainer Werner Fassbinder. In 1999, he co-wrote the screenplay for Away with Words with director and longtime Wong Kar Wai collaborator Christopher Doyle.

Rayns’s most recent articles for Sight and Sound include an April 2025 cover interview with Bong Joon Ho and, in May this year, an online feature on the restoration of Lino Brocka’s Macho Dancer (1988). We’ll be publishing a full tribute to Rayns soon.