Tony Rayns, British critic and advocate of East Asian cinema, dies at 780

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• July 8, 2026

Tony Rayns, the British writer, festival programmer and screenwriter who spent decades introducing Western audiences to East Asian cinema, has died aged 78. He was found deceased in his home on July 7 after an accidental fall down the stairs, according to his sister, Stephanie Gowman, in an email to Variety. Gowman said Rayns’ death