Darius Shu (born 5 May 1994) is a British cinematographer, film director and producer, best known for his work on the films His Hands, Mical and Secret Child. His directorial debut short film His Hands premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2019 and was nominated for Best Narrative Short. The latest documentary that he shot, Always, Asifa, part of a limited television series on ITVX and Sky TV, is nominated at the BAFTA TV Awards 2023. Shu is the founder and managing director of Silverprince Pictures.
Early life
Shu started his career as a photographer before pursuing cinematography. He studied film production and cinematography at Arts University Bournemouth.
Career
After graduating his bachelor's degree, Shu started shooting for luxury fashion magazines, music videos and documentaries. His love for filmmaking made him dive into cinematography. At the Bournemouth Film School, he shot Pardaa (2017) with director Kajri Babbar, which follows a story of an Indian-Muslim girl secretly sacrificing her religious morals in the need of money. The film became a Semi-Finalist at the 44th Student Academy Awards in Los Angeles. It premiered at Aesthetica Short Film Festival in the United Kingdom and premiered in India with an Outstanding Achievement Award at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival in 2017.
In 2017, Shu was approached by producer Gordon Lewis and director Yew Weng Ho to shoot their short film Secret Child, based on Lewis's memoir of the same title. Secret Child tells the true story in the 1950s that deals with a young boy hidden away from the world in a home for unmarried mothers called Regina Coeli in Dublin. The film was a breakthrough success for Shu as it won more than 20 international awards. It had its world premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood at the HollyShorts Film Festival 2018 and received a nomination for Best Period Piece. For its London premiere at the New Renaissance Film Festival 2018, Secret Child won Best Debut Film. It is currently streaming on Omeleto's YouTube channel with over 450k+ views. Shu shot his second television-film with director Kajri Babbar, Khoj, which tells the story of a young teenage Punjabi bride, from being abandoned and betrayed to the pursuit of redemption. It premiered at Cannes Film Festival and went on to stream on ZEE5 in over 190+ countries around the world.
In 2018, Shu teams up with Arron Blake and they both co-directed, wrote, and produced His Hands (2019), with Shu shooting the film as the cinematographer. This was their directorial debut and the first film they made together starring Arron Blake and Philip Brisebois. His Hands had its world premiere at Robert De Niro's Tribeca Film Festival 2019 in New York at the Village East Cinema. The film received nomination for Best Narrative Short. The film created a whole new experience as it was a silent psychological thriller, using only the power of visual storytelling and cinematography. It tells the story of two men meeting for the most unusual unanimity of their lives as it touches themes such as sexuality, loneliness, identity and ageism. The film was applauded as a cinematic masterpiece as it was made on a low budget of £400, with no dialogue delivery throughout the film and using only natural light during filming. The film was released on Amazon Prime Video and has received rave 5 star reviews from the public with critical acclaim. The film was also picked up to stream on Dekkoo in October 2020. Darius then founded the arthouse film production company Silverprince Pictures to develop more independent films.
In 2019, Shu shot a British-East Asian film, Tainted, with director Rikki-Beadle Blair MBE. He has also shot a commercial for Chanel and Coach where he was flown over to New York to film with seven celebrities from South East Asia. Shu attended Chanel's prestigious fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in France to shoot for Chanel with singer-songwriter Yuna and The Laterals magazine. He also shot a fashion film with English actor Dominic Cooper.
Later that year, Shu reunited with director Yew Weng Ho and producer Gordon Lewis on a new dyslexia film, Mical (2020). It follows the true story of Pat and Mike Jones on the struggles and journey of being dyslexic. The film is to create awareness on dyslexia and to support the Dyslexia Trust. The film has been officially selected at the Oscar qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival 2020. The film had its world premiere online on Silverprince Pictures' YouTube channel on September 15 with rave reviews and positive reception from public and currently over 1.6 million views. It is also streaming on Amazon Prime Video in US, UK, Canada and Australia.