Rushes Soho Shorts Festival Magazine 2009

Paul Andrew Williams In 2001, Paul wrote and directed the short film ‘Royalty’ which would later inspire ‘London to Brighton’. ‘Royalty’ premiered at the London Film Festival in 2001, screened on UK television and later at BAFTA. In 2003, Paul was the only UK-based director to be picked up by the Fox Searchlight Director’s Lab. His short film, ‘It’s Okay to Drink Whiskey’, made through this programme, premiered at 2004’s Sundance Film Festival. His UK TV debut, ‘Naked’, was pick of the day in Time Out and was well received by audiences and critics alike.

Paul is determined to help support and encourage fellow filmmakers in getting their projects off the ground. He explains how he became involved with the Rushes Soho Shorts: “I presented an award at the last festival and met everyone there. I think any sort of festival that promotes new film makers should be encouraged and this one is getting more and more prestigious every year.” He continues, “Soho Shorts and other similar events are so important to new filmmakers, in the way they can inspire, educate and be an introduction to the ‘glamorous’ world of media. On a more serious note, I am positive I will get a nice T-shirt out of this thing, an invite to a couple of parties and the odd free lunch, and in this day and age, who can refuse that?” Festival Director, Joe Bateman, is delighted to have Paul on board: “Paul and I were chatting, a while back, about our ongoing efforts to support short form work and I asked Paul if he’d be up for being spokesperson, he said ‘Yes’ with no hesitation and was very willing to join in as much as possible. Just fantastic. It was only a while afterward that he then mentioned his short films back in 2001 and 2002 had not made the shortlist for Rushes Soho Shorts, of course I denied all responsibility but we hope to make reparations this year! It’s really tough programming so much good work but it just goes to show we don’t always get to shortlist everything that we’d like to.”

Paul thinks that RSSF is great because it highlights new talent in many different areas, from the short, to the music video, to animation. “A lot of film makers start from some of these mediums so it is great to have your work not only viewed by a great many professionals but also being a part of a growing community of film making talent.”

His advice to the people who don’t get through to the main event is just to keep going. “This happened to me every time I entered. With all respect to Rushes, and I am sure the organisers would agree with me, success at the festival is not a prerequisite for going on to be a successful film maker. As great as it is to be involved in a festival like this, and maybe even win an award, the bottom line is that getting in, or not getting in won’t determine your career. So always keep on making films.”

See more information about Paul, previous spokespeople and our festival judges on www.sohoshorts.com 11