# Alice Gu

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**Alice Gu** is an American documentary filmmaker and cinematographer.[1][2] She is known for directing and serving as cinematographer for projects such as *[The Donut King](/source/The_Donut_King)* (2020), *Really Good Rejects* (2022) and *[Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print](/source/Dear_Ms.:_A_Revolution_in_Print)*.[3][4]

## Career

Gu’s cinematography credits include *Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton* (2017), directed by [Rory Kennedy](/source/Rory_Kennedy).[2] She has collaborated with directors such as [Werner Herzog](/source/Werner_Herzog) and [Stacy Peralta](/source/Stacy_Peralta), contributing to various documentary films.[5] In 2020, She directed her first feature documentary, *[The Donut King](/source/The_Donut_King)*, which examines the life of Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian refugee who established a donut business in California. Inspired by a remark from her children’s nanny about “Cambodian donuts,” the film premiered at the [South by Southwest](/source/South_by_Southwest).[6] In 2022, she was selected as a [Concordia](/source/Concordia_Studio) Fellow.[7]

Gu’s second documentary, *Really Good Rejects* (2022), premiered at [South by Southwest](/source/South_by_Southwest) in 2022. The film focuses on Los Angeles luthier Reuben Cox, who crafts custom guitars for musicians such as [Jackson Browne](/source/Jackson_Browne), [Carrie Brownstein](/source/Carrie_Brownstein), and [Andrew Bird](/source/Andrew_Bird).[8] In 2024, she directed and shot *Shimmer, Inspired by Eva Young*, a narrative short starring [Harry Shum Jr.](/source/Harry_Shum_Jr.)[9] In 2025, she co-directed *[Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print](/source/Dear_Ms.:_A_Revolution_in_Print)* with Cecilia Aldarondo and Salima Koroma, a feature documentary exploring the history of [*Ms.* magazine](/source/Ms._(magazine)) through its iconic covers, which premiered at the [Tribeca Festival](/source/Tribeca_Festival).[10] She is currently directing *The Elephant Odyssey*, a feature documentary in production about the 2020 journey of Asian elephants across Yunnan, China, filmed with [IMAX](/source/IMAX) cameras.[11]

## Select filmography

Year Title Contribution Note 2017 Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton Cinematographer Documentary 2019 Epiphany Cinematographer Feature film 2020 The Donut King Director, writer, cinematographer and producer Documentary 2021 As I Am Director Documentary series 2022 Really Good Rejects Director, writer, cinematographer and producer Documentary 2022 Walk with Obi Director Documentary short 2023 AKA Mr. Chow Cinematographer Documentary 2024 Shimmer, Inspired by Eva Young Director and producer Short film 2025 Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print Director and cinematographer Documentary TBA The Elephant Odyssey Director Documentary

## Awards and nominations

Year Result Award Category Work Ref. 2020 Won Asian American International Film Festival Emerging Director Award The Donut King [12] Won San Diego Asian Film Festival Best Documentary Feature [13] Won Bentonville Film Festival Best Documentary [14] Nominated Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Best Documentary [15] Won South by Southwest Special Jury Award [16] 2022 Nominated Audience Award Really Good Rejects [17] 2024 Won Bentonville Film Festival Best Short Film Shimmer, Inspired by Eva Young [18]

## References

1. ["Alice Gu Serves Up A Bittersweet Success Story With 'The Donut King'"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/adawson/2020/10/29/alice-gu-serves-up-a-bittersweet-success-story-with-the-donut-king/). *forbes.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["“The Grandeur of this Exceptional Human”: DP Alice Gu on Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton"](https://filmmakermagazine.com/101132-the-grandeur-of-this-exceptional-human-dp-alice-gu-on-take-every-wave-the-life-of-laird-hamilton/). *filmmakermagazine.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["INTERVIEW: “Donut King” Documentary Filmmaker Alice Gu"](https://scriptmag.com/filmmaking/interview-donut-king-documentary-filmmaker-alice-gu). *scriptmag.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["SXSW First Look: 'Really Good Rejects' Showcases “Weird Magic” Of Premiere Guitar Maker Reuben Cox"](https://deadline.com/video/really-good-rejects-sxsw-documentary-director-alice-gu-guitar-maker-reuben-cox-clip-video/). *deadline.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Good Times Signs Director Alice Gu For U.S. Commercial Representation"](https://www.shootonline.com/article/good-times-signs-director-alice-gu-for-u-s-commercial-representation/). *shootonline.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Alice Gu SXSW Documentary 'The Donut King' Acquired By Greenwich Entertainment"](https://deadline.com/2020/06/donut-king-sxsw-greenwich-entertainment-acquisition-1202969741/). *deadline.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Concordia Studio Selects New 2022 Fellowship Class; Fellowship Includes Sundance And Oscar-Nominated Filmmakers"](https://deadline.com/2022/03/concordia-studio-selects-new-2022-fellowship-class-fellowship-includes-sundance-and-oscar-nominated-filmmakers-1234984671/). *deadline.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Really Good Rejects Review: A Loving Look at the Magic of Music"](https://collider.com/really-good-rejects-review-doc-sxsw/). *collider.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Shimmer Inspired by Eva Young"](https://svff.eventive.org/films/65b5a47beb15cd00815c76ad). *svff.eventive.org*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print"](https://tribecafilm.com/films/dear-ms-a-revolution-in-print-2025). *tribecafilm.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Imax Documentary ‘The Elephant Odyssey’ Shooting in China, Sets 2024 Theatrical Release"](https://variety.com/2023/film/news/elephant-odyssey-imax-china-documentary-1235660241/). *variety.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Jurors & Awards"](https://www.aaiff.org/jurors-awards). *aaiff.org*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["ANNOUNCING THE 2020 SDAFF AWARD WINNERS"](https://sdaff.org/2020/awards/). *sdaff.org*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["BFF 2020 Winners"](https://bentonvillefilm.org/headlines/bff-2020-winners/). *bentonvillefilm.org*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["The Donut King"](https://tickets.paaff.org/2020/movies/the-donut-king/). *tickets.paaff.org*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["The 2020 SXSW Film Festival Announces Jury and Special Awards"](https://www.sxsw.com/film/2020/the-2020-sxsw-film-festival-announces-jury-and-special-awards/). *sxsw.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["2022 Film & TV Lineup"](https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/film/2022-lineup/). *sxsw.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

1. ["Bentonville Film Festival Announces 2024 Winners: 'Suze' and 'Daughters' Take Top Honors"](https://variety.com/2024/film/news/bentonville-film-festival-2024-winners-suze-daughters-1236039439/). *variety.com*. Retrieved 2025-08-06.

## External links

- [Alice Gu](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240047/) at IMDb
- [Official website](http://alicegu.com)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alice Gu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Gu) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Gu?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.