| Danish Renzu | |
| Birth Date: | 11 March, 1988 |
| Birth Place: | Kashmir, India |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Alma Mater: | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Notable Works: | Half Widow, The illegal |
Danish Renzu is an Indian born Los Angeles based film director, producer, and screenwriter.[1] He is also the founder of Renzu Films. Renzu is best known for directing and producing films like Half Widow, The illegal,[2] [3] and Songs of Paradise featuring Saba Azad, Soni Razdan, Lillete Dubey,[4] currently in post production.[5] [6] [7] [8]
Renzu has received numerous accolades, his film The illegal as a writer and director was shortlisted for nominations for the Best Picture Category at the Academy Awards 2019.
Danish Renzu was born in Kashmir, India.[9] In 2005, he shifted to Los Angeles for further studies,[10] where he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and UCLA Writers' Program certification in screenwriting from the same university.[11]
Renzu started directing short movies in 2015. He directed two short films In Search of America, Inshallah (2014) and First Love (2015). His first feature film Half Widow was released in 2017 and narrates the story of a woman searching for her husband against the backdrop of the Kargil War.[12] [13] His second directorial film was The illegal (2019)[14] starring Suraj Sharma of Oscar-winning film Life of Pi, Shweta Tripathi, and Adil Hussain.[15] The film was shortlisted for nominations for the Best Picture Category at the Academy Awards 2019.[16]
He also directed and produced the music video Ae Savere starring Soni Razdan and Taha Shah Badussha which traces a life of a Kashmiri Pandit woman returning to Kashmir. It was very well received. His recent award winning short films The Good News and My Father's Doctor are both streaming on Jio Cinema. [17]
His film Songs of Paradise is coming in 2024 produced by Excel Entertainment.[18]
Recently Renzu announced his Music label, Renzu Music representing many Kashmiri artists with an intention to create a platform for artists in the valley.[19]
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Songs of Paradise | |||
| My Father’s Doctor | ||||
| 2022 | The Good News | |||
| 2019 | The Illegal | Critics’ Choice Award for Best Film, Audience Poll Award and Special Award, Best Narrative Feature, Best Feature Film and Best Director | ||
| 2017 | Half Widow[20] | Best feature (Audience Award), Best Director Award, (Grand Prize) Best Feature Film | ||
| 2014 | In Search of America, Inshallah | Nominated for Award of Excellence for Best Director, Winner in Best Short Film Category | ||
| 2021 | Austin Film Festival | Best Feature Film and Best Director | The illegal | [21] | |
| 2020 | Sunscreen Festival Award | Best Narrative Feature | |||
| 2019 | Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival (VISAFF) | Critics Choice Award for Best Film | |||
| Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) | Jury Special Prize | ||||
| Washington DC South Asian Film Festival | Best Feature Film | ||||
| 2018 | Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival | Vancouver Film School Scholarship | Half Widow | ||
| Washington DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) | Best Director Award | ||||
| New Jersey International Festival | Best Feature Film (Grand Prize) | ||||
| Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival | Jury PrizeBest Director Category | [22] | |||
| 2017 | South Asian Film Festival | Best Feature (Audience Award) | |||
| ARY Film Festival | Best Short Film Category | In Search of America, Inshallah | |||
| 2015 | California Women’s Film Festival Award | Jury Award for Best Director (Short film) | |||
| Canada Short Film Festival Award | Award of Excellence for Best Director (Short film) |