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.
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 (for Chen Kaige) and Red Sorghum (for Zhang Yimou), both in 1987.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "Gu Changwei" in Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis, p. 181. . 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 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 TitleDirectorNotes1987Red Sorghum红高粱Zhang YimouKing of the Children孩子王Chen Kaige1989Codename Cougar代号美洲豹Zhang Yimou1990Ju Dou菊豆1991Life on a String边走边唱 Chen Kaige1993Farewell My Concubine霸王别姬Nominated- Academy Award for Best CinematographyThe Trail大路Zhou Xiaowen1994In the Heat of the Sun阳光灿烂的日子Jiang Wen1995Warrior LanlingSherwood Hu1997The Gingerbread ManNARobert Altman1998Last Chance LoveAnkie LauHurlyburlyNAAnthony Drazan2000Devils on the Doorstep鬼子来了Jiang WenAutumn in New YorkNAJoan Chen2005"Song Song and Little Cat"NAJohn WooSegment in All the Invisible Children
As film director YearEnglish TitleChinese TitleNotes2005Peacock孔雀Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival2007And the Spring Comes立春Best Actress award at the Rome Film Festival2009Never Abandon, Never Give UpShort film for the International Labour Organization's ILOAIDS program2011Love for Life最爱-2014Love on the Cloud微爱之渐入佳境
References
External links
Gu Changwei at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers New York Times