Director
Aarushi Chowdhury is a Writer & Director fascinated by chaos in the mundane and even more by the people who create it. She was born in India and partly raised in a household of sixty family members living under one roof so naturally, Aarushi loves drama.
Aarushi began her filmmaking journey gaining experience across every department on set including co-producing for London Film School and assisting Iain B.MacDonald on Shantaram. She then developed her first short Gullak through AFTRS Talent Camp, supported by Screen Australia and VicScreen.
Her funded debut short, Clown premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival, SXSW Sydney and earned recognition at the Cannes Indie Shorts Awards. Aarushi completed MIFF’s Accelerator Lab in 2024 and was recently awarded the ‘One to Watch’ prize by Leah Purcell, with a jury including Kyas Hepworth and Sophie Wilde, at the Australian Women in Film Festival.
Aarushi completed an eight-month Director’s Placement under Christian Schwochow (The Crown) on Apple TV+ and 60Forty Films’ series Last Seen, refining her approach to performance, rhythm, and emotional precision. Funded by Creative Victoria, Aarushi went on to co-write and direct Phorid – a short film following a socially awkward author spirals into extreme self-help tactics in a desperate plea to win his wife’s approval.
Alongside her filmmaking practice, Aarushi is a commercial writer-director whose work sits at the intersection of narrative storytelling, character-driven comedy and brand communication. She has directed commercial and branded work for clients including Snooze, KGM, Telstra, Intrepid Travel, AAMI, VicScreen, ACMI and the Victorian Department of Health, working across advertising, branded content and narrative campaigns.
Aarushi’s commercial practice is grounded in creating story-led work that feels culturally specific, emotionally recognisable and tonally distinctive. She uses character, performance and narrative to create genuine audience connection, creating work that stays with people long after the campaign is over.
Aarushi often gravitates toward a darkly comedic tone, knowing that a bitter pill is easier to swallow with a spoonful of sugar. Having spent her early years of life as an only child, Aarushi has a strong yearning for collaboration and shared experiences – an instinct that now shapes her practice.
