Film star Paul’s off to Hollywood after contest win
AFILM-MAKER from Bristol has been named as this year’s winner of a prestigious prize which will mean that his idea for a film gets made – and he will take it to Hollywood.
Paul Holbrook won The Pitch film competition after being shortlisted and presenting his idea at the National Film and Television School.
The writer and director’s film, Hollow, is set on a council estate in south Bristol and tells the story of a grieving mother seeking revenge against a man who killed her son in a drinkdrive incident. She struggles to find the strength to go through with it and seeks guidance from a tormented local vicar, who is racially abused.
The 38-year-old, from Hartcliffe, who has brought the glamour of movie-making to south Bristol with previous projects, wowed the judges with his pitch and is now looking forward to making the film.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet but I’m unbelievably happy,” he said. “I’m over the moon! I’ve been making short films for eight years but they have always been self-funded.
“This is such a huge reassurance and motivator and big confidence boost, for sure, and that a professional organisation has faith in me. Having the budget will give me a bit more creative freedom to direct and write rather than the self-production.
“The support I’ve received has been the biggest thing for me,” he added. “It’s been an intense process, but I’ve never encountered so much support and kindness before. This is very unusual in this industry and the world in general. It’s hugely inspiring. Due to the support, I have felt part of something bigger than making films.
“You feel like you are part of the best part of the industry.”
The Pitch competition challenge was for contestants to pitch a film idea that told or retold a biblical story.
The prize will see a start-up production budget of £30,000, plus production support to get the film made.
Then, Mr Holbrook will travel to Hollywood to meet industry professionals who will give him feedback on the finished production.
Director of The Pitch Luke Walton said: “Paul came into the competition with passion. He had a story to tell about revenge. He has an authentic voice and produced a compelling adaption. His story is one that needs to be told.”
It won’t be Mr Holbrook’s first brush with Hollywood. In 2018, one of his scripts beat thousands of others to get through to the final of the Oscarorganised Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting prize.
For the past few years, he has made short films in and around Bristol. One film, Hungry Joe, premiered in Bristol last night, while another he made last summer, Shiney, is nearing completion after it won backing from the BFI Network.
Shiney tells the story of two kids on a south Bristol estate. It was shot in Hartcliffe and Whitchurch and stars local youngsters and Coronation Street legend Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby in the soap.
Mr Holbrook was named one of the 25 people who made Bristol a happier place in 2019.