Paul Holbrook is a prolific and multi-award-winning writer and director. Proudly working-class, he was born and bred on a rough council estate in the South West of Bristol. Despite a lack of formal education, he started his career as a screenwriter, advancing through various industry-backed screenwriting competitions including Page, Screencraft, and Shore. He made the final 1% of The Academy Nicholl Fellowship (The Oscars) and has been selected for industry-backed career development through Creative England, Bafta, BBC and the BFI.
As a director, his films showcase his passion for intimate, emotional, character-driven stories with cinematic flair. His work has been selected for numerous Bafta, BIFA, and Oscar-qualifying film festivals worldwide, including Palm Springs, BFI London, Encounters, and Aesthetica, winning many awards along the way.
He was nominated for a London Critics Circle Award for his short film 'Hungry Joe' which was described by Short of the Week as "One of the UK's great modern horror shorts" and his highly anticipated follow-up ‘Hollow’, which was produced through The Pitch Film Fund has garnered similar critical acclaim across the industry, including picking up best cinematography at Rhode Island International Film Festival. His short film 'Shiney' funded by BFI Network has racked up over 3 million views online and 'Old Windows' was released via Directors Notes, to a host of critical acclaim. His latest short 'Boys Like You' is currently hitting the festival circuit, and has garnered praise from the one and only Shane Meadows who called the film "A short but potent punch in the cinematic guts!"
Paul has also been selected for BFI's flagship career development program Network@LFF, the BBC Voices scheme, and was named on the 2024 Brit List. He is developing various projects with established and emerging production companies and is represented by United Agents as he seeks out longer-form projects in both TV and film.
contact: jjones@unitedagents.co.uk
