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Highlights from John Hughes' film career as a director: -- 'Sixteen Candles,' 1984.

The Director/Writer's Films Defined a Genre and a Generation

Who is he?A 29 year-old South African director whose $30m sci-fi debut, District 9, is set in Johannesburg 20 years after aliens land, and released on 4 September. His brilliantly lo-fi concept sees the insect-like creatures housed like refugees in shantytowns rather than taking over the world.$30m is mighty big bucks for a first-timer.It helps if your mentors are 'Pete and Fran'. That's Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, the husband-and-wife team behind Lord of the Rings. Jackson, who produced District 9, called it a 'tiny' film. He's got his own standards.This is all sounding a bit Charlie and the golden ticket.Blomkamp was a bit of an early achiever: he was working in special effects by the time he was 16. A couple of years ago, he went to New Zealand to direct a film of the Halo video game, under Jackson's guidance. When that collapsed, Jackson suggested he make a feature based on an earlier short, Alive in Jo'burg. You can watch that on YouTube.And why stay in South Africa?Bl

Writer-director John Hughes, Hollywood's youth impresario of the 1980s and '90s who captured the teen and preteen market with such favorites as 'The Breakfast Club,' 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' and 'Home Alone, died Thursday, a spokeswoman said. He was 59.

Film director John Hughes has died of a heart attack in new york, a spokeswoman said today.

Exclusives: 'Juno' director starts production company in L.A. -- 'Juno' helmer Jason Reitman is hanging a new shingle: Right of Way Films.

STARS whose careers were launched in mega-hit movies by director John Hughes say the film world has lost a giant.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker John Hughes, who made some of the most memorable teen comedies of the 1980s and turned Macaulay Culkin into a major star, died suddenly of a heart attack in new york on Thursday. He was 59.

JOHN Hughes, best known for directing a string of 1980s hit movies including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, has died aged 59.

John Hughes and Teen Angst Films - The director of "brat-pack" films "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," died Thursday of a heart attack in new york. John Hughes was 59....