Paul Webster

Paul Webster is a British independent film producer who has helped rejuvenate the industry in the U.K. with a series of boldly dramatic, distinctive films that are a far cry from the stereotypical prestige projects normally associated with movies coming from England. Before becoming a producer, he distributed films, mostly low budget fare like Sam Raimi's cult horror debut "Evil Dead." In the mid-1980s, he began producing exploitation movies and comedies, and throughout the 1990s, he was head of production for Miramax, where he produced a number of hard-hitting dramas, mostly crime films, including "Romeo is Bleeding" and "The Yards." In the late 1990s, he became the head of production of FilmFour, the feature film division of Britain's Channel 4 station. Under his watch, FilmFour produced a number of critically-acclaimed films, including "The War Zone" and "Sexy Beast." The company folded under his watch in 2002, with Webster stepping down as chief executive; he then reformed, resuming his role as a producer. Some of Webster's later well-known and award-winning works include Walter Salles's Che Guevara biopic "The Motorcycle Diaries," the '05 Jane Austen adaptation "Pride & Prejudice," the period drama "Atonement," and David Cronenberg's dark crime drama "Eastern Promises."