EXCLUSIVE: First look clip at Darius Shu’s Iris Prize-nominated ‘Molly’
24 Aug 2026 | By Molly Lipson
The latest short film by Darius Shu, Molly, follows Vinnie (Hiroki Berrecloth), a young man whose chance encounter with Ryan (Frank Kauer) at a launderette develops into an unexpected and emotionally meaningful connection. As their closeness begins to blur into desire, the two are forced to confront what intimacy means when attraction, expectation and desires do not align, before it fractures everything they have built.
Shu was both director and cinematographer on the film, which has just been nominated for Best British Film at Iris Prize 2026, following selections at more than ten international festivals across the US, UK, Europe, Hong Kong and India. The film is also BAFTA and BIFA qualifying and is set to stream on Channel 4 later this year, with a live broadcast on Film4.
“I wanted to make the kind of queer film I hadn’t seen enough of. We’re so used to seeing queer relationships defined by sex, but in Molly, I allowed two people to simply discover each other,” he says. “For me, the film is a rejection of the idea that there is one correct way to experience intimacy. It’s deeply personal because it comes from a place of longing, frustration and reflection on the chaos of modern dating culture and what happens when you don't conform to society's expectations of love and relationships. Sometimes the most profound connection can exist in the smallest moments, a conversation, a silence, a look, the feeling of being understood. I wanted to make space for all the uncertainty, awkwardness and beauty that exists outside of those expectations.”
Hiroki Berrecloth, who plays Vinnie, says that playing the character left a big impression on him. “In my research of asexuality I gained a new vocabulary and understanding that continues to affect my approach to intimacy. For that I’m very grateful. The filming process demanded a vulnerability which I was able to enjoy because of my friendship with Darius.”
His co-star Frank Kauer shares this admiration: “It makes my job so easy to bring a character to life when the themes and world around the film are as nuanced as in Molly. And through the additional British East Asian queer lenses we see it through, it's a privilege to be a part of.”
It took Shu four years to make Molly, but he doesn’t consider any of that lost time. “Every version I abandoned brought me closer to the story I actually needed to tell.” Now, the film is nominated as one of just fifteen for Best British Short at the Iris Prize, with the winner announced at the festival in October.
Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.