Darius Shu is a British-Chinese cinematographer and director based in London working across high-end narrative drama, documentaries, music promos and commercials. With over a decade of experience, his practice is grounded in arthouse cinema and shaped by an early background in documentary filmmaking, which continues to inform his performance-led, intuitive approach on set with actors and directors. His distinct visual language and lighting blend poetic, atmospheric imagery with socially conscious storytelling, and he is particularly committed to championing underrepresented voices and narratives.

Darius prioritises continuity and flow on set, creating lighting strategies that remain responsive across entire locations. This keeps productions agile and focused, especially when time is tight. Having worked across the UK, Iceland, Asia, and New York, he brings strong organisational skills, clear communication, and measured leadership to crews of varying scales and production budgets.

His cinematography credits include the BAFTA-nominated television film Always, Asifa; Netflix documentary Peach Paradise and Queer Parivaar (BFI Flare 2022, Iris Prize Best British Film), directed by Shiva Raichandani. Recent work includes a BFI backed film OYAKODON (2026), directed by BAFTA Elevate director Georgie Yukiko Donovan, Cuddle (2026), starring Mark Gatiss directed by Arron Blake, The Algorithm of Loss (2025), directed by Levi Eddie Aluede, Where We Came From (2024), starring Emmy Award-winner Archie Panjabi, directed by Nick Virk, and serving as 2nd Unit Director of Photography on Justin Lin's Last Days, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2025. His first feature as a cinematographer is, Slim, directed by Sky Yang and produced by Chi Thai.

Alongside his cinematography work, Darius has directed films that have screened at BAFTA, BIFA, and Oscar-qualifying festivals worldwide. His debut short His Hands (2019) premiered at the Tribeca Festival and was nominated for Best Narrative Short. I Am Norman (2021) premiered at Rhode Island International Film Festival, while his sci-fi short PLOP (2025) had its world premiere in competition at the BAFTA-qualifying Manchester Film Festival, followed by screenings at multiple BIFA-qualifying festivals across the UK. His forthcoming drama Molly, his first original screenplay, premiered in 2026.

Across both disciplines, Darius is drawn to humanistic stories and his work is defined by a refined, emotionally led visual approach and a belief in cinema's power to shift perspective, create empathy, and drive meaningful cultural conversation.

Available for work in UK and worldwide.

Sony FX6 owner. Essential lighting and lens kit available.

Film & TV

Tara Tchablakian
tara@wizzoandco.co.uk

Jo Geaney
jo@wizzoandco.co.uk

Lee Hickman
lee@wizzoandco.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7437 2055

Commercials & Music Video

Sophie Shaw-Foucher
sophie@wizzoandco.co.uk

+44 20 7637 9064

Represented by Wizzo & Co

Personal

darius@dariusshu.com

Member of: Directors UK

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