Danish Renzu
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]
Danish Renzu | |
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Born | Kashmir, India |
Nationality | Indian |
Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
Occupations |
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Notable work | Half Widow, The illegal |
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.[9]
Early life and education
Danish Renzu was born in Kashmir, India.[10] In 2005, he shifted to Los Angeles for further studies,[11] 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.[12]
Career
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.[13][14] His second directorial film was The illegal (2019)[15] starring Suraj Sharma of Oscar-winning film Life of Pi, Shweta Tripathi, and Adil Hussain.[16] The film was shortlisted for nominations for the Best Picture Category at the Academy Awards 2019.[9]
He also directed and produced the music video Ae Savere starring Soni Razdan. His recent short film The Good News is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.[17]
Filmography
Year | Film | Director | Writer | Notes |
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2023 | Songs of Paradise | ![]() |
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My Father’s Doctor | ![]() |
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2022 | The Good News[1] | ![]() |
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2019 | The Illegal | ![]() |
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Critics’ Choice Award for Best Film, Audience Poll Award and Special Award, Best Narrative Feature, Best Feature Film and Best Director |
2017 | Half Widow[18] | ![]() |
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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 | |
Awards and recognition
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
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2021 | Austin Film Festival | Best Feature Film and Best Director | The illegal | Nominated | [9][19] |
2020 | Sunscreen Festival Award | Best Narrative Feature | Won | ||
2019 | Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival (VISAFF) | Critics Choice Award for Best Film | Won | ||
Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) | Jury Special Prize | Won | |||
Washington DC South Asian Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Won | |||
2018 | Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival | Vancouver Film School Scholarship | Half Widow | Won | |
Washington DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF) | Best Director Award | Won | |||
New Jersey International Festival | Best Feature Film (Grand Prize) | Won | |||
Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival | Jury PrizeBest Director Category | Won | [20] | ||
2017 | South Asian Film Festival | Best Feature (Audience Award) | Won | ||
ARY Film Festival | Best Short Film Category | In Search of America, Inshallah | Won | ||
2015 | California Women’s Film Festival Award | Jury Award for Best Director (Short film) | Nominated | ||
Canada Short Film Festival Award | Award of Excellence for Best Director (Short film) | Nominated |
References
- Tagat, Anurag (2022-05-05). "Premiere: Watch the Teaser for Kashmiri Short Film 'The Good News' by Filmmaker Danish Renzu". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- "'The Illegal' movie review: A sublime take on hopes, aspirations and despair". Deccan Herald. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- "The Illegal Movie Review: Suraj Sharma pays the price of his American dream". India Today. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Bukhtiyar, Idrees. "'Kashmir needs to have its own regional cinema'". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Dore, Shalini (2017-06-29). "AFI Alums Pitch in for Classmate's Movie". Variety. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- "Hrithik Roshan's girlfriend Saba Azad to play lead role in Danish Renzu's Songs Of Paradise; deets inside". Pinkvilla. 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Sehgal, Chirag (2022-12-15). "Saba Azad Wraps Up Rocket Boys 2, Minimum, and Songs of Paradise Shoot; Deets Inside". News18. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- "Saba Azad to play Raj Begum in Danish Renzu's Songs Of Paradise - Exclusive". The Times of India. 2022-09-25. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
- Ramanan, Manju (2021-03-21). "Oscar nominee 'The Illegal,' written and directed by Danish Renzu, to release on OTT". FilmFare. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Chhibber, Mini Anthikad (2021-04-17). "Danish Renzu talks about 'The Illegal'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Seta, Keyur. "We have had enough of 'Bumbro' from Kashmir: Danish Renzu on Half Widow". Cinestaan. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Bhat, Adil (2017-09-19). "A window to the Valley - Danish Renzu talks about reviving cinema in Kashmir". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Bhat, Niyati (2020-01-10). "Half Widow does not fall into the Bollywood trap of the formula Kashmir film". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Seta, Keyur. "Half Widow review: Hopeful end to grim tale of a missing husband". Cinestaan. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Seta, Keyur. "The Illegal review: This story of immigrants in the US is filled with reality and hope". Cinestaan. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Roy, Lachmi Deb (25 March 2021). "'I Am An Immigrant From Assam To Delhi, So I Can Relate To 'The Illegal': Adil Hussain". Outlook India. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Ramanan, Manju (2021-08-10). "Taha Shah and Soni Razdan talk of their music video 'Ae Savere', shot in Kashmir". FilmFare. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- HK, Varun (2021-04-02). "Cinema has a responsibility to bring people together, says 'The Illegal' director Danish Renzu". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- "Past Films". Austin Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- "Danish Renzu honoured with Dada Sahib Palikhi Film Festival-18 Award". KNS Kashmir. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
External links
- Danish Renzu at IMDb