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Karl Maka

 
 
 
 
Other names : 麦嘉
Mai4 Jia1
Mak Ga
Mak Kais
Mak Kar
Karl Mak Kar
Maka Carl
 
Nationality : China
Workplace : Hong Kong
Activities : Director (10), Producer (32), Executive producer (3), Writer (6), Actor (28), Brief appearance (3), Cameo (3), Original Story (3), Planning (1), Presenter (21), Executive Director (1)

Biography

He moved to HK in 1958 and then five years later he emigrated to New York City where he studied as an engineer. It is difficult to ascertain whether he got his sense of humor on the streets of New York or later when he was working for the telephone company in New Jersey! At some point though he realized this wasn’t for him and returned to HK in 1973 with his American styled humor well in tow. He quickly got into the film business – first as an assistant director and then in 1976 directed his first film.

It was in 1980 though when he formed the film company Cinema City along with Raymond Wong and Dean Shek that Maka was fully able to put his Western influenced comedic imprint upon his films. In 1982, Maka made the first Aces Go Places film with Sam Hui and Sylvia Chang (who he was married to but has since divorced) and these films were tremendously popular in Hong Kong. During the first part of the 80’s, Cinema City was extremely successful – producing a number of comedies that did well and introducing many stars to the public. They also acted as the producers for Tsui Hark’s production company, Film Workshop, and therefore are partly responsible for such classics as Shanghai Blues, Peking Opera Blues and A Better Tomorrow and they also produced films such as Ringo Lam’s On Fire series. Towards the end of the 80’s though Cinema City fell upon hard times when a number of their films collapsed at the box office with Dragon from Russia (1990) being the final nail in their financial coffin. Maka pretty much left the film industry by 1991 and began focusing on the real estate business – but the downturn in the real estate sector during the Asian crash of the late 90’s generated large financial losses for Maka.

In 2000 Maka returned to the film business with his old partner Sam Hui in the geared for the Chinese New Year film Winner Takes All 2000 – but it unfortunately did not fare well at the box office and Maka admitted that perhaps his style of family comedy is no longer popular.

Yves Gendron
 
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Filmography
 [ 2010 - 2000 - 1990 - 1980 - 1970 ] 
 Alternate lists by alpha / genre / year
 
Title    ( HK -  All )  Year Activity
 
 Bodyguard, The 2016 Actor
 Winner Takes All 2000 Producer, Writer, Actor
 In The Lap of God 1991 Presenter
 Magnificent Scoundrels, The 1991 Producer, Actor
 Prison On Fire II 1991 Producer
 Aces Go Places V : The Terracotta Hit 1990 Actor, Presenter, Executive Director
 Chicken a la Queen 1990 Presenter
 Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon 1990 Actor, Presenter
 Tiger On The Beat 2 1990 Producer
 Undeclared War 1990 Presenter
 Triads - The Inside Story 1989 Presenter
 Eighth Happiness, The 1988 Cameo
 Tiger On The Beat 1988 Executive producer
 City On Fire 1987 Executive producer
 Prison On Fire 1987 Presenter
 Abracadabra 1986 Producer
 Aces Go Places IV 1986 Producer, Writer, Actor, Presenter
 Happy Ghost 3 1986 Presenter
 Lucky Stars Go Places 1986 Actor, Original Story, Planning
 Super Citizen 1986 Presenter
 Thirty Million Dollar Rush, The 1986 Director, Producer, Writer, Actor
 Cupid One 1985 Producer
 For Your Heart Only 1985 Presenter
 Happy Ghost 2 1985 Producer
 Kung Hei Fat Choy 1985 Producer, Cameo
 Lifeline Express 1985 Presenter
 Mummy Dearest 1985 Presenter
 Aces Go Places III : Our Man From Bond Street 1984 Actor, Presenter
 Family Affair, A 1984 Producer
 Happy Ghost 1984 Presenter
 Heaven Can Help 1984 Presenter
 Merry Christmas 1984 Actor
 Occupant, The 1984 Producer
 Run Tiger Run 1984 Producer, Presenter
 Aces Go Places II 1983 Actor, Presenter
 All The Wrong Spies 1983 Executive producer, Brief appearance
 Esprit d’Amour 1983 Producer
 Ghost Bustin' 1983 Presenter
 Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing 1983 Producer
 Send In The Clowns 1983 Producer
 Aces Go Places 1982 Producer, Actor
 Can't Stop The War 1982 Producer, Actor
 He Lives By Night 1982 Producer
 It Takes Two 1982 Director, Actor, Presenter
 Till Death Do We Scare 1982 Presenter
 All The Wrong Clues For The Right Solution 1981 Producer, Actor, Original Story
 Beware Of Pickpockets 1981 Producer, Actor
 Chasing Girls 1981 Director, Producer, Cameo
 Laughing Times 1981 Producer, Actor
 Life After Life 1981 Producer
 No U-Turn 1981 Producer, Actor, Original Story
 Spooky Kookies 1981 Producer
 By Hook Or By Crook 1980 Director, Producer, Actor
 Crazy Crooks 1980 Director, Producer, Actor
 Victim, The 1980 Producer, Brief appearance
 Crazy Partner 1979 Producer
 His Name Is Nobody 1979 Director, Actor
 Iron Fists 1979 Director, Brief appearance
 Knockabout 1979 Actor
 Odd Couple 1979 Producer, Actor
 Dirty Kung Fu 1978 Actor
 Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog 1978 Director, Producer, Writer, Actor
 Hello, Late Homecomers 1978 Actor
 He Has Nothing But Kung Fu 1977 Actor
 Winner Takes All 1977 Director, Writer
 Good, The Bad And The Loser, The 1976 Director, Writer, Actor
 

 Article    Review    Poster/Gallery    DVD Captures    Trailer    DVD Captures/Trailer  
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Gallery
 
 Karl Maka pictures :  (Hide)
Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon
Lucky Stars Go Places
Aces Go Places III : Our Man From Bond Street
Aces Go Places II
All The Wrong Spies
Chasing Girls
Odd Couple
Dirty Kung Fu
Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog
 
 Other Karl Maka pictures :  (Hide)
Winner Takes All (2)
The Magnificent Scoundrels (2)
Aces Go Places V : The Terracotta Hit (1)
Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon (8)
Aces Go Places IV (2)
Lucky Stars Go Places (2)
The Thirty Million Dollar Rush (4)
Aces Go Places III : Our Man From Bond Street (4)
Aces Go Places II (9)
Aces Go Places (4)
 
More pictures in the gallery
 
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Article Links
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Article Links (French only)  
 Secondary Article Links (French only)   (Show)

 
Interview Links  
 Secondary Interview Links   (Show)

 
DVD Review Links (French only)  
 Secondary DVD Review Links (French only)   (Show)
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