Sherwood Hu

Hu founded Film and Television School at Shanghai Theater Academy in 2012 and served as Dean and Professor supervising graduate students. He also established MIA Center (Media Image Art), where contributed a lot of his time to study film of VR／AR technology mixed with theater, computer arts, digital science and high tech engineering in a dome environment. His new book《Notions of Directing》 published by Chinese Film Press. Hu is an active member of APSA. He received a “Golden Crane Award” for Excellent Contribution in Film at 2017 Tokyo International Film Festival, and awarded Best Directing at 51th Houston International Film Festival in 2018. Currently, Hu is a tenured professor at USC-ICCI,Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Sherwood continues to pursue his passion for the stage with A.R. Gurney's Sylvia; Jean-Paul Sartre's Dirty Hands; and a modern ballet SHAKESPEARE AND HIS WOMEN. Sherwood adapted PRINCE OF THE HIMALAYAS for the stage in Shanghai and, after a successful run, the play was selected for The 9th Shanghai International Arts Festival. His most recent stage production "Myth of the Third Pole" opened to the sold-out audiences in the Spring of 2009, and was called "an instant classic' praised by theater experts.

Between his film and theatre projects, Mr. Hu also finds the time to be a guest professor at the Shanghai Drama Academy where he supervises and mentors graduate students. Honored with the title of "Eastern Scholar" a distinguished professor. He is invited by Shanghai TV station Art and Culture channel hosting the only Film Critique program Hu on Silver Screen since 2009. Now he is the artistic director of 2010 World Expo Shanghai Pavilion, which is one of the most popular pavilions in the Expo.

Hu went back to China and formed his own company "Hus Entertainment" in 2005, and produced and direct a 40-episode television series PURPLE JADE for China Central Television. He returned to epic costume period film work with PRINCE OF THE HIMALAYAS, his own adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, set in ancient Tibet, and performed entirely in the Tibetan language. The film received Best Film Award from Calabria International Film Festival in Italy along with other awards in several film festivals, including Best Direction in Monaco Film Festival. His new TV series FIGHTING PEKING was aired during the Chinese Spring Festival of 2009 at BTV, and was rated #1 TV show of the nation. Hu made his first Chinese/English language film Amazingi in the fall of 2010.

In 2003, Hu returned to China to direct a 40-episode television series, Purple Jade for China Central Television, and a 30-episode TV series "The War of Peking". He returned to epic costume period film work with Prince of the Himalayas (2007), his own adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, set in ancient Tibet, and performed entirely in the Tibetan language. The film was received numerous awards including best picture, best director and best actor in several international film festivals. Hu also has continued with theatre work, including stage productions of A.R. Gurney's Sylvia, Jean-Paul Sartre's Dirty Hands and a modern ballet, Shakespeare and His Women, for the 8th Shanghai International Arts Festival (2006), and a stage production of Prince of the Himalayas (2007) for the 9th Shanghai International Arts Festival.Production “Mulan”, which is a shadow puppetry show received rave reviews and theater awards, including “Golden Clown Award” of the 5th International Theater Festival in Russia. His theater production “Farewell My Concubine” was in New York Met Life and sold out completely and received raving reviews. Recently, he directed a new Beijing Opera “New Dragon Inn” which based on a film when the production opened in Shanghai Grand Theater was called “an instant classics”. His inovative music production "Music of Life" was successfully performed in Carnige Hall in Oct. 2019.

In 1998, Francis Ford Coppola and Wayne Wang were executive producers of his second feature, one of the first co-productions between American and China. Lani Loa - The Passage was a Hawaiian ghost story/cop movie/spiritual love story, shot in Shanghai and Hawaii, and starred Angus Macfadyen, Ray Bumatai and Chris Tashima. Tashima also starred in his next film, On The Roof (2002), a small indie digital video ensemble piece filmed in Pasadena, California.

Hu created The Legend of Prince Lanling, a lavish stage production set in ancient China; this received an Honorable Mention from the Kennedy Arts Center. He later adapted this into his first feature film, the epic Warrior Lanling, which was launched at the 1995 Telluride Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival and others.

Hu was born in Shanghai in 1967, to Hu Weimin (胡伟民 ; 1932-1989), a theatre director, and Gu Menghua (顾孟华 ). His sister Hu Xuelian (胡雪莲 ) is a producer.