Gu Changwei (born 12 December 1957) is a Chinese
cinematographer and
film director. Gu was born in
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see ยง Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...
in the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. Gu is considered one of the major Chinese cinematographers working today.
[Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "Gu Changwei" in ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''. Taylor & Francis, p. 181. .]
Career
Gu Changwei began his cinematic career in the now legendary 1982 class of the
Beijing Film Academy
Beijing Film Academy (BFA; ) is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institution specializing in the tertiary education for film and television production in Asia. The academy ...
, today known as the
Fifth Generation. Trained as a cinematographer, Gu was assigned to the
Xi'an Film Studio
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqin ...
after graduation where he served as a primary collaborator with classmates
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wi ...
and
Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
on their early films, notably ''
King of the Children'' (for
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wi ...
) and ''
Red Sorghum'' (for
Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
), 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
Zhao Fei (, ; born 1961) is a Chinese cinematographer and frequent collaborator to many directors of the China's so called "fifth generation" film movement. Zhao also served as Woody Allen's director of photography for three films between 1998 ...
, Gu has had the opportunity to work with major American directors as well, notably with Robert Altman, on his film ''The Gingerbread Man
The Gingerbread Man (also known as The Gingerbread Boy) is a fairy tale about a gingerbread man's escape from various pursuers until his eventual demise between the jaws of a fox.
"The Gingerbread Boy" first appeared in print in the May 1875, is ...
'' (1997).
Directing
Beginning in 2005, Gu Changwei branched out into film direction with his debut ''Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
'', 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
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...
. His sophomore feature, ''And the Spring Comes
''And the Spring Comes'' () is a 2007 film directed by Gu Changwei, written by Li Qiang. This is Gu's second feature following his acclaimed feature debut ''Peacock''. The film premiered at the 2007 Rome Film Festival, and the lead actress Jiang W ...
'', was released in 2007.
Filmography
As cinematographer
As film director
References
External links
*
*
Gu Changwei
at the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers
Chinese cinematographers
Film directors from Shaanxi
Artists from Xi'an
Beijing Film Academy alumni
1957 births
Living people
{{China-film-director-stub
Chinese film directors