A three time BAFTA nominee, Suri Krishnamma won a 2020 RTS Craft & Design Award for BBC4’s The Way Out. He has just directed on a new adaptation of The Canterville Ghost for BBC Grafton House Productions and Holby City for BBC Studios.
Suri has a broad range of experience across television and feature film. For the BBC, he directed the award-winning limited series A Respectable Trade and The Cazalets. He has directed numerous prime time dramas such as Waking the Dead, Blue Murder, Cold Blood and Sea of Souls and his work extends to continuing drama such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Casualty.
Internationally acclaimed, Suri has directed seven feature films including the award winning Dark Tourist and A Man of No Importance starring Albert Finney. His film New Year’s Day was named Best UK Feature Film at Raindance.
In addition to his directing work, Suri is Professor of Film at Norwich University of the Arts, Honorary Fellow of the Arts University Bournemouth and is a past President of the Jury for the Munich International Festival of Film Schools. He is also developing a number of new projects for film and television.
| Television – Limited Series (broadcast): | |
|---|---|
| The Cazalets | Cinema Verity / BBC1 Director of the 6 x 60’ limited series following the Cazalet family over 1937 – 1942 Producers: Verity Lambert, Joanna Lumley, Pippa Harris, Jane Tranter |
| A Respectable Trade | BBC Drama / BBC1 Director of the 4 x 60’ award-winning limited series based on the Philippa Gregory book about the slave trade in eighteenth century Bristol Producers: Ruth Baumgarten, Ruth Caleb and Michael Wearing NOMINATED: BAFTA – Best Drama Serial |
| Television – Series (broadcast): | |
|---|---|
| The Canterville Ghost | BBC Grafton House Productions Director of 2 x 60′ episodes on this new limited series adaptation. |
| Holby City | BBC Studios Productions / BBC One Directed a two-episode block on the prime time drama. |
| Performance Live: The Way Out | Battersea Arts Centre / BBC Four Directed the 1 x 45′ drama – a theatrical adventure twisting through the Battersea Arts Centre in one continuous, unbroken shot propelled by performances from extraordinary artists (2020) WINNER: Suri Krishnamma & Camera Team awarded the 2020 RTS Craft & Design Award for Multicamera Work |
| Emmerdale | ITV Studios / ITV1 Directed 14 x 30’ episodes of the popular continuing drama series (From 2018) |
| Coronation Street | ITV Studios / ITV1 Directed 35 x 30’ episodes of the long running ITV soap (From 2016) |
| Echo Beach | Kudos Film & Television / ITV1 Director of 3 x 30’ episodes of this ITV soap linked to comedy/drama Moving Wallpaper Producer: Howard Burch |
| Casualty | BBC Drama / BBC One Director of 2 x 50’ eps of the prime time BBC1 drama Producer: Anne-Louise Russell |
| Cold Blood | Granada TV Productions / ITV1 Directed 2 x 90’ episodes of the dark murder mystery Producers: Ian White, Kieran Roberts |
| Blue Murder | Granada TV Productions / ITV1 Director of 2 x 90’ episodes of the Manchester-set crime drama Producers: Gina Cronk and Kieran Roberts |
| Sea of Souls | BBC Scotland / BBC One Directed 2 x 60’ episodes of the paranormal drama series Producers: Stephen Garwood, Nadine Marsh-Edwards |
| Waking the Dead | BBC Drama / BBC One Director of 2 x 60’ episodes of the cold case crime drama series Producers: Richard Burrell, Alexei de Keyser |
| Rockface | BBC Scotland / BBC One Directed 2 x 60’ episodes of the Scottish mountain rescue drama Producer: Neil Zeiger |
| Outside the Rules | BBC Drama, London & BBC Wales / BBC One Director of 2 x 60’ episodes of the BBC1 crime drama Producers: Alison Davies, Pippa Harris and Jane Tranter |
| Dalziel and Pascoe | BBC Drama / BBC1 Director of 2 x 90’ episodes of the popular crime drama Producer: Nick Pitt |
| Soldier Soldier | Central TV Productions / ITV Directed 1 x 60’ episode of the drama dealing with military life Producers: Christopher Neame, Pippa Harris |
| Spender | Initial Film & TV Productions / BBC1 Directed 2 x 60’ episodes of the prime time police procedural series Producers: Paul Raphael, Eric Fellner |
| The Bill | Thames Television / ITV Directed 2 x 30 mins of the ITV police drama Producer: Peter Wolfes |
| South of the Border | BBC Drama / BBC1 Director of 1 x 50’ episode of the detective series Producer: Caroline Oulton |
| Television – Films (broadcast): | |
|---|---|
| Wuthering Heights | MTV Original Movie Productions / MTV Director of the modern day feature length adaptation of the classic Brontë novel Producers: Maggie Malina, Danielle Woodrow, Jim Steinman |
| The Chest | Granada TV Productions / ITV Director of the feature length comedy drama Producers: Mark Redhead, Andy Harries NOMINATED: British Comedy Award – Best ITV Comedy Drama |
| The Place of the Dead | LWT Productions / ITV Director of the feature length drama based on the true story of a disastrous British Army expedition in Malaysia Writer: Jeff Pope Producers: Jeff Pope, Simon Shapps |
| The Turnaround | World Productions & Carlton TV / ITV Directed the first of the series of feature length private investigator dramas starring Clive Owen and based on the Nick Sharman books by Mark Timlin Producers: Bill Shapter, Tony Garnett |
| O Mary This London | BBC Films / BBC2 Director of this TV film following three young Dubliners moving to London for Screen Two Producers: Helen Greaves and Mark Shivas |
| Feature Films (released): | |
|---|---|
| Dark Tourist | Vision Entertainment Group Director of the psychological thriller starring Melanie Griffith Producers: Adam Targum, Zach Bryan, Suzanne Delaurentiis |
| Bad Karma | Limelight International Directed the crime feature starring Ray Liotta and Dominic Purcell Producers: Grant Bradley, Dale Bradley, Mark Williams |
| Locked In | Peninsular Media Directed the indie thriller starring Ben Barnes Producers: Susie Brooks-Smith, Frida Torresblanco, Michael Bassick |
| Good Sharma | Real McCoy and WSG Productions Director of the drama set in the US and India Producers: Nicola Scott , Sheetal Talwar |
| New Year’s Day | Flashpoint Films Directed the coming of age / survival drama Producers: Steve Cleary and Simon Channing-Williams |
| A Man of No Importance | Little Bird Productions and BBC Films Director of the comedy/drama starring Albert Finney Producers: Jonathan Cavendish, James Mitchell, Mark Shivas, Guy East |
| Short Film (released): | |
|---|---|
| Macbeth No More | Actors Centre & Skillset Writer / Director Producers: Diane Shorthouse, Matthew Lloyd |
| Being Othello | Actors Centre & Skillset Writer / Director Producers: Diane Shorthouse, Matthew Lloyd |
| Hamlet Little | Actors Centre & Skillset Writer / Director Producers: Diane Shorthouse, Matthew Lloyd |
| Water’s Edge | National Film and Television School Director NOMINATED: BAFTA – Best Short Film |
| Mohammed’s Daughter | Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design (now AUB) Director NOMINATED: BAFTA – Best Short Film |
| Departure | Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design (now AUB) Director |
| Awards & Nominations: | |
|---|---|
| 2020 RTS Craft & Design Award (Winner) for Performance Live: The Way Out (Multicamera Work) | |
| Total Film Award (Winner) for Dark Tourist (Best Actor, Michael Cudlitz) at Frightfest, London. | |
| Best UK Feature Film, (Winner) Raindance Film Festival, UK (New Year’s Day). | |
| Grand Prix (Winner) Yubari Film Festival, Japan (New Year’s Day). | |
| British Comedy Award (Nomination) Best ITV Comedy Drama (The Chest). | |
| British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Nomination) Best Drama Serial (A Respectable Trade). | |
| Golden Spire (Winner) Chicago, USA (A Respectable Trade). | |
| Prix du Public (Winner) Angers Film Festival, France (Water’s Edge). | |
| British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Nomination) Best Short Film (Water’s Edge). | |
| Gold Mikeldi (Winner) Bilbao International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Spain (Water’s Edge). | |
| British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Nomination) Best Short Film (Mohammed’s Daughter) | |
| Best Film (Winner) Budapest Student Film Festival, Hungary (Mohammed’s Daughter) |
| Academic Awards: | |
|---|---|
| Professor of Film – Awarded by Norwich University of the Arts | |
| Fellow of the Higher Education Academy | |
| Honorary Fellowship – Awarded by the Arts University College Bournemouth |
| Education: | |
|---|---|
| National Film and Television School, Post Graduate Diploma in Fiction Direction | |
| Bournemouth and Poole College of Art & Design (now AUB), Post Higher Diploma in Film & Television | |
| Open University, Certificate in Natural Sciences | |
| University of the Arts London, Post Graduate Certificate in Art, Design and Communication |