Karena Lam Kar-Yan
Karena was working at her Vancouver family restaurant when she was discovered by a talent scout from Taiwan in 1993, at age fifteen. The scout persuaded her to fly to Taiwan that Christmas, alone, for a singing audition in the hope of securing a professional contract. The audition was a success and she released two albums, her debut album in 1995 and her second album later in 1999. However both were met with modest success.
Her film debut in 2002 changed all this and propelled her to real stardom. Karena starred in three successful Hong Kong films in the same year, winning the awards of Best Supporting Actress and Best New Performer for her role in July Rhapsody directed by Ann Hui (at the 2002 Hong Kong Film Awards) and for Inner Senses by Lo Chi Leung (at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards), gaining her recognition as a talented young actress and marking the start of her film career.
In recent months she has been taking on much more challenging roles, as witnessed in the 2005 horror film Home Sweet Home, where she plays an insane and horribly deformed "phantom" monster who kidnaps a boy from his genetic mother to claim as its own, and was nominated for major awards again.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 6.304 |
Birthday | 1978-08-17 |
Place of Birth | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Also Known As | Karena Lam, Kar Yan Lam, Karena Lam Ka-Yan, 林嘉欣, 임가흔, |
2023
Red Line
5.8/6
In the underground racing scene, emerging racer Xiao Le spirals into despair after an accident during a race with his brother, A Chieh. His life chang...
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Red Line
2021
American Girl
6.6/30
When her mother gets sick, 13-year-old Fen moves back to Taiwan, where she struggles to fit in amid the 2003 SARS epidemic.
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American Girl
2020
Bad Acting
0/0
Stuffing the face with unimaginable expressions, tears streaming down the cheeks like a waterfall, hysterical cries as if coming from a neurotic….. T...
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Bad Acting
2006
Silk
6.2/80
A scientist uses his invention - the "Menger Sponge" - to capture the energy of a dead child's spirit in an old building. In trying to determine why t...
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Silk
Beyond the Sin
0/0
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Beyond the Sin
2004
Koma
5.3/37
A horrid crime was committed at a wedding reception and bridesmaid Chi Ching was the lone eyewitness. At the police station, she recognised the suspec...
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Koma
2002
Tiramisu
4.4/5
Is the story of a man, Fung, in his early twenties living his life as a mail-man during the day and a janitor at night. One day, through fate and dest...
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Tiramisu
2023
Tales From The Occult: Body and Soul
5.8/4
Rapunzel: While attending the birthday celebration of the scion of some record company, an ex-hair model who aspires to make a comeback in the enterta...
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Tales From The Occult: Body and Soul
2007
Anna & Anna
6.5/1
Anna & Anna is a movie about a Singaporean arts saleswoman / alpha female and her subdued doppelganger. Anna One (the arts saleswoman) is very suc...
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Anna & Anna
2008
Fit Lover
3.1/8
This film centers on Nie Bing, a high-profile TV hostess, who is obsessed with trying to find her "ideal man" before her 30th birthday. Nie Bing is gi...
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Fit Lover
2010
Lover's Discourse
5.4/5
In a crowded city like Hong Kong, former lovers often cross each other's path. One night, a former couple reunites for one night as they talk about th...
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Lover's Discourse
2005
It Had To Be You
6.1/4
Restaurant supervisor Jill (Karena Lam) has a handsome boyfriend Chi On (Wu Bing), but she is just his backup girlfriend. She knows she is the other g...
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It Had To Be You
2003
Heroic Duo
5.152/23
Tough cop Ken Li (Cheng) is at the top of his game, but he's going to need some help to solve a grisly crime that the offender, a respected police off...
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Heroic Duo
2010
Don Quixote
4.5/2
Don Quixote is a 2010 Chinese and Hong Kong film directed by Ah Gan based on Miguel de Cervantes' 17th-century novel.
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Don Quixote
2015
Dragon Blade
6.351/562
Huo An, the commander of the Protection Squad of the Western Regions, was framed by evil forces and becomes enslaved. On the other hand, a Roman gener...
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Dragon Blade
2002
July Rhapsody
6.5/24
High school teacher Lam Yiu-Kwok is in the midst of a midlife crisis. His wife, Man-Ching, has been unfaithful; his friends are reaping the rewards of...
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July Rhapsody
2002
Inner Senses
5.9/34
This is the story of Yan, a young woman haunted by fleeting images of what she believes to be dead people. Told that it is all in her mind by her psyc...
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Inner Senses
Worth the Wait
0/0
An interwoven story about life, love and modern romance
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Worth the Wait
2022
Man on the Edge
5/12
On the eve of the 1997 handover, violence is rampant as the British Hong Kong government has joined forces with the triads to cause chaos in Hong Kong...
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Man on the Edge
2007
Kidnap
4.9/6
Three years ago, drama teacher Lam Hiu Yeung (Karena Lam) lost her younger brother in a kidnapping case, headed by female inspector Ho Yuen Chun (Rene...
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Kidnap
2005
Mob Sister
4.6/3
In the macho triad world where heroes are molded from blood, brawn and brains, what place is there for a defenseless girl? The only exception to the r...
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Mob Sister
2004
Super Model
6.4/5
Super model Mandom (Ronald Cheng) is very famous in the field. One day, he is threatened by someone, asking him not to attend a model competition. Man...
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Super Model
2024
Tales of Taipei
0/0
A heartfelt piece that tells the stories of Taipei streets, people and communities. From ten directors across the globe, creating ten unique stories o...
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Tales of Taipei
2008
Claustrophobia
4.8/6
Pearl has quietly fallen in love with her boss Tom, who’s married with a family. Without warning, Tom asks Pearl to interview for another job. Wounded...
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Claustrophobia
2005
Home Sweet Home
5.7/9
May's son has gone missing, and in order to win him back, the devoted mother is going to have to face her worst fears as she navigates a treacherous m...
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Home Sweet Home
2008
Candy Rain
4.3/17
Four separate vignettes about lesbian relationships and dating, ending with a summation about relationships.
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Candy Rain
2003
The Floating Landscape
5.9/7
Maan has recently lost her lover, Sam, a painter who died tragically of an incurable disease. Before his death, he was remembering a beautiful landsca...
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The Floating Landscape
2024
Customs Frontline
5.2/13
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department officers Chow Ching-lai and Cheung Wan-nam share a close mentor-student relationship. On a case involving seiz...
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Customs Frontline
2004
Moon Wall
0/0
A musical film Commissioned by now.com.hk
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Moon Wall
2003
Truth or Dare : 6th Floor Rear Flat
6.3/5
Six Hong Kong roommates vow to each accomplish something daring or wonderful within one year.
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Truth or Dare : 6th Floor Rear Flat
2015
Zinnia Flower
5/3
On the same day, in the same accident, Wei loses his pregnant wife and Ming her fiancé. In Buddhism, one is given 100 days to mourn for the dead. Like...
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Zinnia Flower
2024
Daughter's Daughter
8.5/1
Jin is in her 60s. Her husband gone, her concern is for daughter Zuer, in New York trying out IVF with her partner Michelle. When Jin receives news th...
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Daughter's Daughter
2008
Happy Funeral
4.5/2
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Happy Funeral
2015
Keeper of Darkness
5.7/62
Street-smart exorcist Fatt has an unique method of dealing with vengeful spirits: He negotiates with them and persuades them to let go of their grudge...
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Keeper of Darkness
2016
Heaven in the Dark
5.9/10
Michelle and Marco Tol, a former pastor, meet at a party. They discuss what happened five years ago, when a scandal involving the pair erupted and dis...
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Heaven in the Dark
2009
Let the Wind Carry Me
6.4/7
Focusing on Mark Lee Ping-bin, one of the most talented and prolific cinematographers in Asia, the movie details the itinerant lifestyle of a deeply o...
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Let the Wind Carry Me
2017
The Liquidator
5.389/18
A criminal psychologist and a forensic expert works together to track down a serial killer who targets people who have been acquitted of notable crime...
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The Liquidator
2019
The White Storm 2: Drug Lords
6.4/51
A financial tycoon, once a triad member, tries to eradicate the drug market while an old accomplice aims to be Hong Kong's first drug lord.
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The White Storm 2: Drug Lords
2019
Integrity
5.2/18
The chief investigator of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is banking on a key witness, the corporate accountant Jack, to...
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Integrity
2019
Legally Declared Dead
6.4/5
When insurance agent Yip Wing Shun is called to visit Tak and Ling’s home to follow up on a life insurance policy, he discovers their son’s corpse han...
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Legally Declared Dead
2004
Six Strong Guys
4.8/4
Four men meet up on the rooftop of an office block for an unusual suicide plan. Driven to the edge by problems and stresses, are going to jump off the...
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