Frant Gwo


Frant Gwo is a Chinese filmmaker. He debuted in 2011 with the film The Adventures of Li Xianji, and then directed the box-office hit My Old Classmate in 2014. In 2019, he directed China's first big-budget science fiction film, The Wandering Earth, which became the second highest-grossing film in China of all time.

Biography

Gwo was born as Guo Fan on 15 December 1980 in Jining, Shandong, China. He studied at Jining No. 13 Middle School and Jining No. 1 High School, before entering Hainan University in 1999 to study law.
Instead of pursuing a legal career after graduation, he began working for the Asian Music Center program of China Travel Television in 2003. He later worked for Republic Culture Media Ltd. in Beijing. Beginning in 2001, he also spent much of his time creating manhua comics and graphic design.
In 2009, he entered Beijing Film Academy to study film management. The following year, he began making his first film, The Adventures of Li Xianji, which was theatrically released in 2011. In 2014, his second feature film, My Old Classmate, was released. It was a box office hit, earning 470 million yuan in China and won multiple prizes including the Committee Special Award at the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival.
In 2016, Gwo was chosen to direct The Wandering Earth, China's first big-budget science fiction film, based on a short story by the Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin. The film was released by China Film Group Corporation on 5 February 2019, the Chinese New Year's Day. It is a major box-office hit, earning 2 billion yuan during the week-long national holiday. It grossed US$700 million worldwide, including $691 million in China. The film is China's second highest-grossing film of all time.

Filmography