FILM/TV
ALICE GU
Director | Cinematographer | Photographer
Alice Gu is an award-winning director and director of photography. A Los Angeles native, Alice began her career as a director of photography, working with renowned directors Werner Herzog, Stacy Peralta, and Rory Kennedy, among others. Her commercial clients for print and live action include TBWA/ Chiat Day, Media Arts Lab, Deutsche, Edelman, Berlin Cameron, Cole & Weber, Pereira & O’Dell, Doremus, Publicis, Beats by Dre, Laird Hamilton, ESPN, FIFA, NFL, NHL, NBA, the WSL, and Apple.
Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, a documentary film directed by Academy Award-nominated director, Rory Kennedy, and lensed by Alice Gu.
THE DONUT KING is Alice’s feature directorial debut and was slated to premiere in the canceled 2020 SXSW film festival. Despite the cancellation, the film won the Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Documentary Storytelling, as well as the Best Documentary awards from the Sun Valley Film Festival, Bentonville Film Festival, Urbanworld Film Festival and Best Emerging Director at the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival. A feature-length documentary about the rise and fall of a Cambodian refugee turned donut tycoon, “The Donut King” is executive produced by Academy Award-winners Ridley Scott and Freida Lee Mock.
Alice’s follow-up feature, REALLY GOOD REJECTS, premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. The film was produced by Academy-Award winning producers David Dinerstein and Robert Fyvolent. A loving look inside the magic of music, the film features prominent musicians such as Jackson Browne, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Aaron Dessner of The National, and Phoebe Bridgers, among others.
Alice was recently selected as a 2022 fellow of the prestigious Concordia Studios Fellowship, which was founded by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim.
While developing several documentaries, Alice is also transitioning into the narrative space, developing a feature project with Scott Free Productions.
"My mentoring experience with Alice has been amazing this year. Alice has introduced me to books, funding opportunities, and educational resources in our time together, as well as personal growth resources which also pour back into my career. I am honored to be able to work with her, especially considering I am a fan of her work, and I’m so grateful to the UP community and her as a person for the ways in which I have grown during this 2023 session."
— Allyson