Only When I Laugh

As the SARS epidemic continues to threaten public health in Hong Kong, it would seem that good taste is joining face-masks as a commodity you can't get hold of for love nor money. Blighted as they are by the virus, Hong Kong filmmakers are to fight back against the infection with a laughter-fuelled film about the crisis. Steve Cheng's City of SARS begins filming in two weeks and will be a light-hearted comedy about the outbreak, which has infected more than 4000 people in China alone. With a budget of $1 million and the comedic talents of popular stand-up comedians, Dayo Wong and Cheung Tat-ming, the film will intertwine three side-splitting stories. The first will be a worthy tribute to medical workers fighting to contain the disease while the second riotous tale will be a love story about a girl who loses her boyfriend when residents of her apartment block are quarantined. And if that doesn't assure that tears of mirth are freely flowing, the third story features a businessman who goes bankrupt because of the outbreak and subsequently tries to commit suicide. We're sure it'll have them rolling in the aisles.