Russell "Russ" Emanuel is an American

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, producer, and

independent filmmaker An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

. Emanuel founded Russem Productions, a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

based production company in 2002, through which he has produced and directed short and feature-length films.

Early life

Emanuel was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and grew up in both Japan and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Emanuel attended the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

with an emphasis in

film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies ...

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...

, and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Films

Emanuel's first films were shorts, including ''Her Knight'' (2003) and ''Girl with Gun'' (2006). In 2007, Emanuel produced his first feature film, ''P.J.''. Emanuel subsequently directed the feature film '' Chasing the Green'' (2009), starring

William Devane William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera ''Knots Landing'' (1983–1993) and as James Heller on the Fox serial dramas '' 24'' (2001–2010) and '' ...

, and ''The Legends of Nethiah'' (2012) starring John Heard and

Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in ''Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on ''The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series '' China Beach'', the Doctor on '' St ...

. His 2015 horror feature film ''Occupants'', also starring Picardo, screened at film festivals including

Shriekfest Shriekfest Horror Film Festival is a film festival specializing in the horror genre. It is the longest running horror festival in Los Angeles. In 2017, Shriekfest expanded to include an Orlando, FL festival location. History Shriekfest Horror Fi ...

2016.

Documentaries

Emanuel directed and produced the documentary film ''Restoration of Paradise'' (2014), about the history of the

Bolsa Chica Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve is a natural reserve and public land in Orange County, governed by the state of California, and immediately adjacent to the city of Huntington Beach, California. The reserve is designated by the California ...

wetlands, which has at different times been a Native American settlement, President

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

's Gun Club, and a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

home for artillery batteries. The documentary was narrated by Robert Picardo.

Filmography

Awards

Action on Film International Film Festival The Action On Film International Film Festival, also known as the Action On Film Festival, was founded in 2004. It was held in California until 2017 when it moved to the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As a hub for many returning filmmake ...

* (2015) – Best Cinematography Documentary / ''Restoration of Paradise'' (2014) * (2018) – Best Spoof / ''The Meeting: Webisode III - A Not So Funny Meeting'' (2018)

Bare Bones International Film Festival The Bare Bones International Film and Music Festival was founded in 1999 by the Darkwood Film Arts Institute (DFAI) in the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States to showcase independent motion picture projects with budgets of less than 1 millio ...

* (2018) Best Feature Thriller / ''Occupants'' (2015) * (2019) Ned Hockman’s Best Bare Bones Director Award / ''The Assassin's Apprentice'' (2018) * (2020) Best Thriller: First Place / ''American Wisper'' (2019) * (2021) Micro-Short: Best Covid-Pandemic Film / ''Routine'' (2020)

Boston Science Fiction Film Festival The Boston Science-Fiction Film Festival hosted its 47th-anniversary festival in February of 2022, making it the 2nd oldest independent genre film festival in the US. The festival takes place each year in February, the week ending on President's ...

* (2017) Best Found Footage / ''Occupants'' (2015)

Canada International Film Festival The Edgewater Casino is a former casino that was located at 760 Pacific Blvd South Vancouver, British Columbia. It was in operation from 2005 to 2017. History The Edgwater Casino opened in February 2005. In 2006, the casino was acquired by Par ...

* (2010) Award for Excellence in Feature Film Competition / '' Chasing the Green'' (2009)

Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival The ''Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival'' (commonly abbreviated as "HRIFF") is a film festival with a focus on independent films held annually at L.A. Live / Staples Center and additional cinemas across Hollywood, California. HRIFF guest ...

* (2016) Best Trailer / ''Occupants'' (2015)

Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema The Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (IIFC) is an independent film festival held since 2009 in Idyllwild, California. The festival is run by its founder, director Stephen Savage. The tenth annual IIFC was held March 5 through 10, 2019. ...

* (2017) Excellence in Filmmaking / ''Occupants'' (2015) * (2018) Excellence in Filmmaking / ''Collar'' (2017) * (2019) Marshall Hawkins Best Original Score Short / ''The Assassin's Apprentice'' (2018)

New Jersey Film Festival The New Jersey Film Festival is New Jersey's largest continuing public film series devoted to "experimental, offbeat and influential cinema". It is held in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was started in 1981 and is hosted by Albert Gabriel Nigrin. T ...

* (2008) Grand Prize for Best Feature Film/Video / ''P.J.'' (2008) Philadelphia Independent Film Festival * (2017) Best Sci-Fi Feature / ''Occupants'' (2015)

* (2016) Best Sci-Fi Feature / ''Occupants'' (2015)

WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival The WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1968, is an annual film festival held annually in April in Houston, Texas. Notable festival alumni include John Lee Hancock, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film '' The Blind ...

* (2012) Silver Award for Independent Theatrical Feature Films - Family/Children / ''The Legends of Nethiah'' (2012) * (2018) Special Jury Award: Suspense/Thriller, Platinum Award: Dramatic - Original / ''Collar'' (2017) * (2021) Silver Remi: Shorts - Fantasy/Horror / ''Routine'' (2020) * (2022) Silver Remi: Short Film Productions – Use of Drones / ''The Assassin's Apprentice'' (2018)

References

External links

* *
The Official Russem Productions website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emanuel, Russ American directors Living people American filmmakers University of Southern California alumni Year of birth missing (living people)