Gu Changwei


Gu Changwei is a Chinese cinematographer and film director. Gu was born in Xi'an, Shaanxi in the People's Republic of China. Gu is considered one of the major Chinese cinematographers working today.

Career

Gu Changwei began his cinematic career in the now legendary 1982 class of the Beijing Film Academy, today known as the Fifth Generation. Trained as a cinematographer, Gu was assigned to the Xi'an Film Studio after graduation where he served as a primary collaborator with classmates Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou on their early films, notably King of the Children and Red Sorghum, both in 1987. Since then, Gu has worked with both men on multiple occasions, including on Chen's magnum opus, 1993's Farewell My Concubine. Like fellow cinematographer Zhao Fei, Gu has had the opportunity to work with major American directors as well, notably with Robert Altman, on his film The Gingerbread Man.

Directing

Beginning in 2005, Gu Changwei branched out into film direction with his debut Peacock, a three-hour-long epic about a small family in the 1970s and 1980s. The film was well received and won the Jury Grand Prix-Silver Bear at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. His sophomore feature, And the Spring Comes, was released in 2007.

Filmography

As cinematographer

YearEnglish TitleChinese TitleDirectorNotes
1987Red Sorghum红高粱Zhang Yimou
1987King of the Children孩子王Chen Kaige
1989Codename Cougar代号美洲豹Zhang Yimou
1990Ju Dou菊豆Zhang Yimou
1991Life on a String边走边唱Chen Kaige
1993Farewell My Concubine霸王别姬Chen KaigeAcademy Award Nomination for Best Cinematography
1993The Trail大路Zhou Xiaowen
1994In the Heat of the Sun阳光灿烂的日子Jiang Wen
1995Warrior LanlingSherwood Hu
1997The Gingerbread ManNARobert AltmanAs director of photography
1998Last Chance LoveAnkie Lau
1998HurlyburlyNAAnthony DrazanAs director of photography
2000Devils on the Doorstep鬼子来了Jiang Wen
2000Autumn in New YorkNAJoan ChenAs director of photography
2005"Song Song and Little Cat"NAJohn WooDirector of photography; segment in All the Invisible Children

As film director