Gu Changwei (born 12 December 1957) 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.[1]
Gu Changwei | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 12 December 1957 | ||||||
| Occupation(s) | Cinematographer, film director | ||||||
| Years active | 1980s-present | ||||||
| Spouse | Jiang Wenli | ||||||
| Awards | Silver Berlin Bear-Jury Grand Prix 2005 Peacock Silver Frog 1993 Farewell My ConcubineGolden Horse Awards – Best Cinematography 1994 In the Heat of the Sun Golden Rooster Awards – Best Cinematography 1988 King of the Children & Red Sorghum | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 顧長衛 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 顾长卫 | ||||||
| |||||||
Career
editGu 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 (for Chen Kaige) and Red Sorghum (for Zhang Yimou), both in 1987.[1] 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, with Tony Drazan, in his filmed adaptation of Hurlyburly and most notably with Robert Altman, on his film The Gingerbread Man (1997).
Directing
editBeginning 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.[2] His sophomore feature, And the Spring Comes, was released in 2007.
Filmography
editAs cinematographer
edit| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Red Sorghum | 红高粱 | Zhang Yimou | |
| King of the Children | 孩子王 | Chen Kaige | ||
| 1989 | Codename Cougar | 代号美洲豹 | Zhang Yimou | |
| 1990 | Ju Dou | 菊豆 | ||
| 1991 | Life on a String | 边走边唱 | Chen Kaige | |
| 1993 | Farewell My Concubine | 霸王别姬 | Nominated- Academy Award for Best Cinematography | |
| The Trail | 大路 | Zhou Xiaowen | ||
| 1994 | In the Heat of the Sun | 阳光灿烂的日子 | Jiang Wen | |
| 1995 | Warrior Lanling | Sherwood Hu | ||
| 1997 | The Gingerbread Man | NA | Robert Altman | |
| 1998 | Last Chance Love | Ankie Lau | ||
| Hurlyburly | NA | Anthony Drazan | ||
| 2000 | Devils on the Doorstep | 鬼子来了 | Jiang Wen | |
| Autumn in New York | NA | Joan Chen | ||
| 2005 | "Song Song and Little Cat" | NA | John Woo | Segment in All the Invisible Children |
As film director
edit| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Peacock | 孔雀 | Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival |
| 2007 | And the Spring Comes | 立春 | Best Actress award at the Rome Film Festival |
| 2009 | Never Abandon, Never Give Up | Short film for the International Labour Organization's ILOAIDS program | |
| 2011 | Love for Life | 最爱 | - |
| 2014 | Love on the Cloud | 微爱之渐入佳境 |
References
edit- ^ a b Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "Gu Changwei" in Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis, p. 181. ISBN 0-415-15168-6.
- ^ Meza, Ed (2005-02-21). "'Carmen' cops gold". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
External links
edit- Gu Changwei at IMDb
- Gu Changwei at AllMovie
- Gu Changwei at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers
- New York Times
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