Annapurna Sriram

Sriram was raised in Nashville Tennessee where she attended a performing arts high school.^[7] In her youth, she enjoyed borrowing cult films from the library (including John Waters' Polyester),^[8] was a self-described "theater kid", and a champion Irish dancer.^[7]

While attending Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts, she studied at the Globe Theater in London for a year, earning an acting BFA in 2011.^[1][9]

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"^[4] and John DeFore from The Hollywood Reporter described the role as a "complicated protagonist, played brilliantly."^[5] For her performance as Yazmine, she won the Outstanding Performance Award at the Bushwick Film Festival.^[10][9] Sriram has appeared in a number of popular television series including Billions, The Blacklist, and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.^[11][12]

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.^[13] She later reprised the role on the West End in London at Trafalgar Studios in 2016.^[14] Variety called Sriram "perfect in this role."^[15] 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.^[9][16]

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.^[12] This led her to write material for herself.^[7]

In 2025, Sriram made her feature directorial debut with Fucktoys, which she wrote, directed, starred in, and executive produced.^[2] The film took eight years to create.^[8][17] 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.^[8] Fucktoys premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2025, where it won the Special Jury Award for a Multi-Hyphenate.^[2][18] The film was shot on 16mm film^[19] and has been described as drawing inspiration from the works of John Waters, Gregg Araki, Jim Jarmusch, and Ken Russell.^[19][7][20] Sriram has described the film as "neo-camp" and "American New Wave revival,"^[20] exploring themes of capitalism, class, and structures of oppression through a distinctly female perspective.^[21]

• List of female film and television directors