Private Project

The Returning

A bittersweet love story unfolds when a widower's wife returns from the grave

  • Paul Russell
    Director
  • Paul Russell
    Writer
  • Tunku Halim (original short story)
    Writer
  • Paul Russell
    Producer
  • Fairil Emran Desa
    Key Cast
  • Leila Louise Fitton
    Key Cast
  • Paul Russell
    Cinematographer
  • Paul Russell
    Sound Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Romance, Mystery, Tragedy
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 8, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Malaysia
  • Country of Filming:
    Malaysia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Red Dragon
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Move Me Productions Belgium Film Festival
    Antwerpen
    Nepal
    August 2, 2017
  • Short to The Point
    Bucharest
    Romania
    August 7, 2017
  • Arthouse Asia
    Kolkata
    India
    January 26, 2018
  • Direct Short Online Film Festival
    Worldwide
    December 6, 2017
    Winner: Best Director of the Month
  • Canada Shorts Film Festival
    New Brunswick
    Canada
    December 9, 2017
    Certificate of Merit: International Shorts
  • Southern Shorts Awards
    Roswell, Georgia
    United States
    Awards of Merit for Cinematography, Music, Editing, Directing and Production. Award of Excellence for Production Design
  • South Film and Arts Academy Festival
    Rancagua, O'Higgins
    Chile
    January 16, 2018
    Chile
    Best Sound Design, Short Film, Best Romance Short Film, Best Art Direction, Short Film, Third Audience Award
  • IChill Manila Film Festival
    Manila
    Philippines
    January 19, 2018
    Philippines
Director Biography - Paul Russell

Paul is an award winning British DOP/Director who made South East Asia his home in 1995. He picked up his first camera in the late 1970’s and has been shooting ever since. He is a well-travelled, pragmatic perfectionist.

At the moment he has his own production company in Kuala Lumpur.

Paul first started telling stories for a living in 1995 as a copywriter in Singapore after 12 years in corporate IT sales in the UK. By 2000 he was freelancing at the major MNC agencies, where he conceived press, TV and radio campaigns for a wide variety of multi-national brands.

While at McCann Erickson in 2001 he wrote the Web Without Wires Commercial for Motorola that was shot by Hollywood director Oliver Stone. By 2002 his work also included his one-time hobby, photography, and in 2007 he moved into video.

Currently, Paul is working on the development of a new feature film based on the short stories of best-selling Malaysian author Tunku Halim.

As a musician and composer, Paul has released or co-released several CDs (including as part of the duo Anawaty/Russell) and is a member of the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore.

Paul’s Awards

Beyond Staffing (2019)
Best Director, MP Film Festival Season 4, 2019
Best Short Film, MP Film Festival Season 4, 2019
Best Short Film, Direct Monthly Online Film Festival October 2019

Cats! (2018)
Best Short Comedy People's Choice Award, World Film Fair, LA 2019
Best Short Comedy People's Choice Award, Austria International Film
Festival, 2019
Best Comedy Short , South Cinematography and Arts Film Festival #13, 2018

The Returning (2017)
Best Horror Film. World Film Fair, Los Angeles 2019
Best Horror Film, Madrid Art Films Festival 2019
Best Director of the Month, AAB International Film Festival, May 2018
Best Director of the Month: Direct Short Online Film Festival Dec 2017
Best Indie Short Film: Five Continents International Film Festival #13 2018
Best Romance (Short Film): South Cinematographic Academy Film and Arts 2018
Best Sound Design (Short Film): South Cinematographic Academy Film and Arts 2018
Third Audience Award: South Cinematographic Academy Film and Arts 2018
Award of Excellence, Direction: Depth of Field International Film Festival Spring 2018
Award of Excellence, Editing : Depth of Field International Film Festival Spring 2018
Award of Merit: Accolade Global Film Competition
Award of Merit: Canada Shorts Film Festival 2017
Award of Merit, Producer: Southern Shorts Awards, Drama 2017
Award of Merit, Director: Southern Shorts Awards, Drama 2017
Award of Merit, Cinematography: Southern Shorts Awards, Drama 2017
Award of Merit, Music: Southern Shorts Awards, Drama 2017
Award of Merit, Editing: Southern Shorts Awards, Drama 2017

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I'm very grateful to the cast and crew, who threw themselves into this project wholeheartedly. And also to Tunku Halim, who generously gave his permission to use his story as the basis for the short.