DIRECTING | FILMS
AS FEATURED ON
MOLLY
Written and Directed by Darius Shu
Produced by Kaushik Ray, Pooja Chauhan & Darius Shu
Production Company: Taran Tantra Telefilms & Silverprince Pictures
Coming Soon to Channel 4 in November 2026
Release Date: 2026
A chance meeting at a launderette sparks a meaningful connection between Vinnie and Ryan. As closeness blurs into desire, their relationship forces them to confront what love demands before it fractures everything they have built.
Starring Hiroki Berrecloth, Frank Kauer, Aldous Ciokajlo-Squire, Kadell Herida, Xander Pang, Tatum Swithenbank and Kaja Chan
FESTIVALS
Official Selection at Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2026 (Best British Film Nominee) (BAFTA & BIFA qualifying)
Official Selection at British Urban Film Festival 2026 (BAFTA & BIFA Qualifying)
Official Selection at Sunderland Shorts Film Festival 2026 (BIFA Qualifying)
Official Selection at Roze Filmdagen 2026
Official Selection at Queer East Festival 2026
Official Selection at Norwich Film Festival 2026 (BAFTA qualifying)
Official Selection at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2026 (Canadian Screen Awards qualifying)
Official Selection at London Breeze Film Festival 2026 (BIFA qualifying)
Official Selection at Milktea Mixtape: Youth Edition 2026 (in collaboration with Picturehouse)
Official Selection at OutSouth Queer Film Festival 2026
Official Selection at Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2026
Official Selection at Fringe Queer & Art Fest 2026
Official Selection & In Competition at KASHISH Pride Film Festival 2026
Official Selection at Big Fridge International Film Festival 2026
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
Nominated: Cinematography in a Short Film at British Society of Cinematographers
Nominated: Best British Film at Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2026 (BAFTA qualifying)
Winner: Honourable Mention at Sunderland Shorts Film Festival 2026 (BIFA Qualifying)
Nominated: Best UK Film, Best Drama, Best LGBTQIA Film, Judges Recognition Award, Audience Choice Award at Sunderland Shorts Film Festival 2026 (BIFA Qualifying)
Winner: Best LGBTQIA+ Aware Film at Big Fridge International Film Festival 2026
Nominated: Best International Narrative Short, Best Screenplay, Best Performance in a Lead Role at KASHISH Pride Film Festival 2026
REVIEWS
Cinerama | Molly ☆☆☆☆
Queer Guru | Molly ☆☆☆☆☆
Filmotomy | Molly ☆☆☆☆
FlickFeast | Molly ☆☆☆☆
Abstract AF | Molly ☆☆☆☆
Film Carnage | Molly ☆☆☆☆
Film Threat | Molly ☆☆☆☆
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MOLLY is my most personal work to date, inspired by true lived experiences. A tender, defiant act of storytelling that reclaims space for the stories rarely seen on screen. As a British East Asian filmmaker, I’ve long felt the absence of narratives that reflect the intersections of my identity. MOLLY is both a love story and a quiet rebellion, one that invites the viewer into a world of silences, stares, and emotional complexity that often exists between the lines of dialogue.
This film is a return to my roots. I grew up in the margins, where people like me were side characters, if visible at all. With MOLLY, I wanted to centre characters who are typically unseen: British East Asian men navigating desire, asexuality, vulnerability, and the yearning for emotional connection. It’s a film about intimacy without labels, and about love that refuses to follow a conventional model of relationships. In doing so, I hope it speaks to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider looking in.
Visually, MOLLY is lyrical and restrained. Every frame composed with intention, every movement a reflection of unspoken emotion. Working as both the cinematographer and editor allowed me to craft a visual rhythm that mirrors the internal landscapes of the characters. I wanted the camera to linger, to listen, and to hold space in a way that feels honest, raw and immersive, and ultimately purely human.
What makes MOLLY radical is its subtlety. It doesn't shout. It breathes. It listens. It gives voice to those who are often silenced, not with spectacle, but with sincerity. It invites audiences to sit with their own feelings, encouraging them to interpret the story in ways that resonate with their personal lives and experiences.
This is more than a film. It’s a gesture of visibility, a cinematic love letter to my community, and a promise that our stories matter. I hope MOLLY offers a mirror to those who have never seen themselves reflected, and opens a window for others to witness a different kind of beauty.
LOW TIDE MOTEL
Written and Directed by Darius Shu
A psychologically charged romantic thriller set in a decaying motel.
When a night clerk’s estranged friend unexpectedly checks in, the tentative reunion reignites past feelings and becomes an intoxicating fixation. The two men spiral into a game of desire, power play, and control, where obsession threatens to destroy them both.
The debut feature, currently in development.
Open to having conversations with producers and executive partners. For more information or to discuss involvement, please get in touch.
PLOP
Directed by Darius Shu
Written by Arron Blake
Production Company: Silverprince Pictures
Release Date: 2025
In a world where everyone has a partner, a desperate woman from the secluded society of rejected singles, known as the Leftovers, takes a bold leap of faith on a revolutionary new dating app, risking everything for one last chance at love.
Starring Joanna Bool & Arron Blake
FESTIVALS
Official Selection and In Competition at Manchester Film Festival 2025 (World Premiere)
Official Selection at Sunrise Film Festival 2025
Official Selection at SCI-FI London 2025
Official Selection at Brighton Rocks Film Festival 2025
Official Selection at Clapham International Film Festival 2025
Finalist at Big Fridge International Film Festival 2025
Semi-Finalist at Kino Short Film Festival 2025
HIS HANDS
Written and Directed by Arron Blake & Darius Shu
Production Company: Silverprince Pictures
Release Date: 2019
Two men, totally different in both age and outlook, having the strangest encounter of their lives. A caring friend? Calculating enemy? Whose intensions are honorable? Whose is corrupt? Is the relationship compatible or incompatible? Sick or ultimately indefensible?
Starring Arron Blake & Philip Brisebois
FESTIVALS
Official Selection and Nominated for Best Narrative Film at Tribeca Festival 2019 (World Premiere)
Official Selection and Awards of Excellence at Canada Shorts Film Festival 2019
I AM NORMAN
Directed by Arron Blake & Darius Shu
Written by Arron Blake
Production Company: Silverprince Pictures
Release Date: 2021
A man living in his car takes a filmmaker into the woods to share a dark secret.
Starring Arron Blake
FESTIVALS
Official Selection at Rhode Island International Film Festival 2021 (World Premiere)
Official Selection at The Short List @ The Cinema Battersea Power Station 2022
Official Selection of the BFI Film Academy Recommends
BIOGRAPHY
Darius Shu is a writer-director drawn to humanistic, emotionally resonant stories told through a visually poetic lens. His work often centres on underrepresented voices and overlooked narratives.
A passionate advocate for Asian and LGBTQIA+ representation in cinema, Darius is committed to using film as a catalyst for meaningful dialogue and cultural progress. His stories aim to create space, for reflection, visibility, and connection.
Darius made his directorial debut with His Hands (2019), a silent psychological thriller nominated for Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Festival 2019. He followed this with I Am Norman (2021), a fictional documentary thriller which premiered at the BAFTA-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival. His third film PLOP (2025) premiered In Competition at the Manchester Film Festival and has screened at Picturehouse Finsbury Park for Sci-Fi London, with selections at over five festivals. His latest romantic drama, MOLLY, marks his debut original screenplay as a writer–director and represents a significant new chapter in his filmmaking career. The film has gone on to receive international recognition, with selections at over 13 film festivals worldwide. Now BAFTA and BIFA qualifying, MOLLY has been nominated for Best British Film at the prestigious Iris Prize and will stream on Channel 4 later this year.
With ten years of experience as a cinematographer, Darius has shot a wide range of acclaimed projects, including the BAFTA-nominated film Always, Asifa (2023), the Netflix documentary Peach Paradise (2022), Queer Parivaar (2022), Where We Came From (2024) starring Emmy winner Archie Panjabi, Cuddle (2026) featuring Mark Gatiss and served as 2nd Unit DOP on the feature film Last Days, directed by Justin Lin (Fast & Furious franchise, Star Trek Beyond) which world premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2025.
Through his work, Darius continues to push the boundaries of independent film while championing stories that challenge, heal, and humanise. He is in the development of his debut feature, currently titled ‘Low Tide Motel’. All of Shu’s films are produced under his production company, Silverprince Pictures.