A SHELLEY film director has won an award for his debut flick.

Paul Robinson’s Fanatic won best short film at the Milan Film Festival.

Paul, 39, of Shelley, has been a photographer for the last 15 years.

But he discovered his passion for cinematography back in 2003 when he created a coffee-book photographic project.

Subsequently he enrolled on an MA course at the London Film School, where he graduated in 2007 and where the idea of Fanatic was founded.

It has now won the best short film award at the first film festival it was entered in.

Paul, a father-of-four, said: “When it was in post production a few people told me to send it to some film festivals.

“I sent it to 10 festivals not really expecting but hoping to hear back and it got into two which is amazing.

“So to then win an award for best short film at my first festival was just unbelievable.”

Fanatic is based in Barcelona and tells the story of Daniel played by George Appleby, who has been in some of the Harry Potter films. Daniel is an English dwarf bicycle courier living alone on deserted wasteland in the outskirts of Barcelona.

Paul added: “When I came out of film school there was a certain level of production which everybody was doing and trying to get funding is very difficult.

“Production values are the main thing for me. My passion for cinematography is something I wanted to maintain to a high standard.

“I’ve still got a passion for cinematography and for photography and I really want to shoot a few more.

“It can take two years to develop a script and then even longer to get funding for it so it’s a long process but one I’m looking forward to.”

Mirfield-born Paul was a pupil at Mirfield High School and later Greenhead College.

He enrolled on a course at Huddersfield Technical College but dropped out before university and is largely self-taught in photography.

He lives in Shelley with his wife Olivia and eight-month-old daughter Marni.

He has three sons from a previous relationship, Joe, 12, Oliver, 11 and six-year-old Louis.

When he won the award he texted his older children but joked they were unimpressed, adding: “I’m sure it’d be different if I was working on Harry Potter.

“I think they are happy that I’ve had some success and won an award but they’re still children so don’t pay much attention.”

He is now in Cannes showing the film in the hope of having his work viewed by organisers of the Cannes Film Festival.

Visit www.paulrobinson.uk.com