About

Paul Schoolman trained at Ecole Jacques Le Coq, Paris He acted & directed in Rep & on the Fringe, writing and running his own companies - BLIND SUMMIT with Bruce Liddington and on the streets with Celia Gore-Booth, ZIZI AND PIPI.

In 1979 made ‘Somewhere Else’ filming on the streets of Paris and Basle. It screened at Edinburgh, Tours and The Chicago International Film Festival.

He was then invited to Zoetrope Studios, Hollywood, where he was privileged to learn from the world’s creme de la creme of filmmakers for a whole year. Watching the struggle for funding was the greatest training anybody could ever have!

He shot the documentary ‘JOURNEY TO A SPIRIT THAT LIVES IN WATER’ which traced the re-emergence of traditional healers, n’gangas following Zimbabwean Independence.

Paul was given the first ever permissions to run film acting & writing workshops in UK prisons, starting in Dartmoor with the intention of making a feature film about Julius Caesar. Supported by a magnificent Steering Committee comprising such notables as Merlyn Rees and John Mortimer as well as Home Office officials.

Three film scripts were written, ‘NONCE’ by Michael ‘Sam’ Sambridge, ‘STONE HOTEL’ written by Paul and 12 inmates and a draft of ‘STRINGCAESAR’ based on his ‘Julius Caesar Queen of Bithynia’. The first phase of the workshops comprised mostly acting workshops and studying film. This was mostly funded by privately with contributions coming in from TV South West and other small funding parties.

The second phase was funded by the BFI. BFI elected to make NONCE by ex-Para, Sam. But when the producer put above Paul by the BFI released a press announcement regarding NONCE, the work was immediately banned. Nobody understood why it had been banned?! The overall project was pulled from the fire by Richard Attenborough who called him at home and said ,’Mission accomplished! Get on with you work!’

The Steering Committee, Richard Attenborough, The Board of Prison Visitors and Judge Tumin (who was conducting a review of prison conditions after the worst prison riots in UK history) all advised Paul to ‘Fight anybody who tried to stop the work!’ ’ Attenborough advised him to make Caesar - 'It's the only one to make in a place like Dartmoor! and you have full permission.'

The BFI pulled its funding stating that 'Caesar couldn't be made into a film!'

Paul and Alice sought funding wherever they could. Following a trip to Japan to meet with camera people, Martyn Naylor MBE brought £50K to the project so that the work could continue.

Paul and Alice continued the work in Drumheller Penitentiary, Alberta, Pollsmoor Prison, South Africa and HMP Cardiff Prison in Wales. The door had been opened into these prisons by wonderful filmmaker colleagues, one of whom had worked with them in Dartmoor, and the support of John May, former governor of HMP Dartmoor and the then regional director of Welsh prisons.

Ultimately this lead to writing, directing and producing the multi-award winning feature JAIL CAESAR with an ensemble of prisoners & professional actors including Derek Jacobi and John Kani.

It screened on Netflix USA for three years gaining an incredibly high Rotten Tomatoes rating and gained international awards at film festivals worldwide. The Independent devoted 2 pages to it but Jail Caesar has rarely been seen in the UK.

As a result of the seminal work in ‘JAIL CAESAR’ Paul was invited to lead an intensive acting workshop at Whatton Prison, the largest sex offenders’ prison in the EU. Some of the officers at Whatton are still suggesting he return for more workshops.

Paul, Alice & C P Ltd produced the feature ’SHINGETSU’. The story of an Austrian mercenary fighting in the Balkans. Former World Heavyweight Mu Thai Champion, Gunter Singer, wrote his own dialogue and Alice Krige wrote hers. Special Jury Award at the Jakarta Peace Festival, sharing it with former President Jimmy Carter