Annapurna Sriram

Annapurna Sriram is an American film director, screenwriter, and actor from Nashville, Tennessee. She is known as the writer-director and star of the 2025 film Fucktoys, which premiered at South by Southwest where it won the Special Jury Award for a Multi-Hyphenate and received positive reviews from critics. Sriram's performance in the 2019 film Feral received positive reviews from The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety.

Early life and education Sriram was raised in Nashville Tennessee where she attended a performing arts high school. In her youth, she enjoyed borrowing cult films from the library (including John Waters' Polyester), was a self-described "theater kid", and a champion Irish dancer.

Career Sriram began her career in the film industry as an actor, appearing in shorts, feature films, and series. Her first lead role in a feature film was in the 2019 drama thriller Feral, directed by Andrew Wonder. Glenn Kenny of The New York Times praised her "bravura, multilayered lead performance"

Sriram also has a history in live theater. Her notable stage credits include originating the role of Reshma in Jesse Eisenberg's play The Spoils, directed by Scott Elliott for The New Group in 2015. She later reprised the role on the West End in London at Trafalgar Studios in 2016. Variety called Sriram "perfect in this role." She also appeared in Wallace Shawn's Evening at the Talk House alongside Matthew Broderick and in Quiara Alegría Hudes' The Happiest Song Plays Last.

Sriram's experiences as a biracial actor in Hollywood influenced her decision to create her own work. She has stated that as an "ethnically ambiguous" actor, she was frequently typecast into racial stereotypes and limiting roles, which did not align with her creative ambitions. The film was inspired by a breakup in Sriram's late 20s that occurred after a psychic told her she needed to end the relationship or face negative consequences for her career and health. The film was shot on 16mm film and has been described as drawing inspiration from the works of John Waters, Gregg Araki, Jim Jarmusch, and Ken Russell. Sriram has described the film as "neo-camp" and "American New Wave revival",

Acting credits

Film

Television

Filmmaking credits

Awards and nominations

Awards Special Jury Award for a Multi-Hyphenate at SXSW 2025 for Fucktoys Audience Choice Award for Best Debut Feature at BUFF 2025 for Fucktoys Grand Jury Prize for New Directors Competition at NashFilm 2025 for Fucktoys Grand Jury Prize at San Diego Asian Film Festival 2025 for Fucktoys Jury Award for Best Ensemble at Out on Film 2020 for Give or Take Best Actor/Outstanding Performance Award at BFF 2019 for Feral Special Achievement Award for Acting in a Fiction Feature at Red Rock Film Festival 2019 for Feral

Nominations

Second Runner Up for the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Director at SIFF 2025 for Fucktoys Grand Jury Award for a Narrative Feature at SXSW 2025 for Fucktoys Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at OCFF 2025 for Fucktoys Prize of the City of Torino for Best Feature Film at TFF 2025 for Fucktoys New American Cinema Competition at SIFF 2025 for Fucktoys American Independent Award for Best Feature Film at Denver Film 2025 for Fucktoys New Visions Award for Best Motion Picture at Sitges 2025 for Fucktoys June Award for Best Acting Ensemble at Indie Short Fest 2020 for Coup