Darius Shu

Darius Shu is a writer-director who loves telling poetic visual stories with striking imagery. ​A storyteller who loves arthouse films and is a firm believer in the concept of 'show... don't tell' and creating images that stay with you well after. His work is characterised by richly textured imagery, paintings inspired, surrealism, and stylish visuals that complement the use of music and sound.​Darius channels the power of visual storytelling to create positive representation in film & TV, driving societal conversations by incorporating social awareness and surrealism elements in his films and striving to illuminate the visual narrative to complement the story.  He is drawn to stories that depict the existential exploration of identity, humanity and social construct and is always fascinated to create something fresh out of something ordinary, to have his characters deal with the presence of anxiety, and be morally ambiguous. Darius’ films often portray radical themes hinging on the polarised context of socio-modern issues.
Darius' slate of award-winning projects includes a poetic psychological thriller short film His Hands, nominated for Best Narrative Short at Tribeca Film Festival 2019. His second film I AM Norman, a fictional documentary thriller premiered at Rhode Island International Film Festival 2020 with five-star reviews from HeyUGuys and Mark Gatiss calling it ‘A beguilingly beautiful gem’. Both films are streaming on Amazon Prime Video. 
With his extensive 6 years background as a cinematographer across a slate of genres, the latest TV documentary he filmed, Always, Asifa, is nominated for a BAFTA at the BAFTA TV Awards 2023. It also premiered at BFI London Film Festival 2022 and is now streaming on Together TV. ​He lensed the critically acclaimed musical-drama film Queer Parivaar, which won the prestigious BAFTA-qualifying 'Best British Film' award at Iris Prize 2022, had its World Premiere at BFI Flare 2022 and Outfest LA, and was selected at over 20 international film festivals. Queer Parivaar was broadcasted on Film4 and now streaming on All4.​He shot a Netflix documentary, Peach Paradise which premiered on Tik Tok's first-ever live-stream showcase and was nominated for Best International at Iris Prize 2022. ​He has worked with artists such as Léa Seydoux, Lily James, Gemma Chan, Tia Kofi, The Vivienne, Omari Douglas, Kaya Scodelario, Big Zuu, and Dominic Cooper. ​Darius is the founder of the arthouse production company Silverprince Pictures.