Paul Westmoreland (born 4 March 1966), known professionally as Wash Westmoreland and previously known as Wash West, is a British director who has worked in television, documentaries, and

independent films An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...

. He frequently collaborated with his husband, writer-director Richard Glatzer. Together, they wrote and directed the 2014 film ''

Still Alice A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been used ...

'', based on

Lisa Genova Lisa Genova (born November 22, 1970) is an American neuroscientist and author. She self-published her debut novel ''Still Alice'' (2007), about a Harvard University professor who suffers early onset Alzheimer's disease. The book gained popular ...

NYT ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

best-selling book and starred

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...

Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2012, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Ac ...

, and

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nich ...

. The film won many awards, including the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...

for Julianne Moore and

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

for feature film for the duo. Their 2006 coming-of-age feature film, ''Quinceañera'', won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the

2006 Sundance Film Festival The 2006 Sundance Film Festival was held in Utah from January 19, to January 29, 2006. It was held in Park City, with screenings in Salt Lake City; Ogden; and the Sundance Resort. It was the 22nd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival, and the c ...

Early life

Westmoreland was born Paul Westmoreland in

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

, England, on 4 March 1966.Prestigiacomo, Jennifer (21 February 2002). "Fluffer explores most difficult job in porn industry". ''University Wire''. Born during

Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles in the 1960s. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom throughout 1963, propelled by the singles "Please Please Me (song), Please Please Me", "From Me to You ...

, Westmoreland was named after

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

band member

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

and grew up preferring being referred to by his nickname, Wash, as a means of distinguishing himself from all the other Pauls at his school. His father was a maintenance engineer for the CEGB and his mother worked as a receptionist at a local hair salon. Westmoreland earned his college degree in Politics and East Asian Studies at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Fukuoka University in Japan, graduating in 1990. He moved to the United States in 1992, initially living in New York City, then moving to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

camera assistant A focus puller or first assistant camera (1st AC) is a member of a film crew's camera department whose primary responsibility is to maintain the camera lens's optical focus on whatever subject or action is being filmed. "Pulling focus" refers to ...

Bruce LaBruce Bruce LaBruce (born January 3, 1964) is a Canadian artist, writer, filmmaker, photographer, and underground director based in Toronto. Life and career LaBruce was born in Tiverton, Ontario. He has claimed both Justin Stewart and Bryan Bruce as ...

's movie '' Hustler White'', Westmoreland entered the adult entertainment world to try to research a feature film project, ''The Fluffer''. He got a job directing for BIG Video, a minor label, and under the name Wash West he started making movies that challenged the conventional norms of the industry. ''Dr Jerkoff and Mr Hard'' and ''Naked Highway'' were his first significant films. Westmoreland directed the cat-and-mouse thriller ''Animus'', sci-fi based ''Technical Ecstasy'', and ''The Devil is a Bottom'', which was listed in the ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose pare ...

'' staff's annual list of favorite movies in 2000. It was also during this time that Westmoreland started to work in mainstream films. He appeared briefly in ''

Velvet Goldmine ''Velvet Goldmine'' is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons. It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s, and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star B ...

'' by director

Todd Haynes Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...

. Haynes worked with Westmoreland as a producer on ''

Quinceañera A (also , , , and ) is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday. It has pre-Columbian roots in Mexico (Aztecs) and is widely celebrated by girls throughout Latin America. The girl celebrating her 15th birthday is a (; feminine form of "15-y ...

''.

2001–2006

Glatzer and Westmoreland's first collaboration was on '' The Fluffer'', a look at obsession, addiction, and power relationships within the gay porn industry. The film starred Michael Cunio, Roxanne Day, Scott Gurney, and Deborah Harry. It premiered at Berlin and Toronto Film Festivals in 2001 and secured US distribution from First Run Features. It received mixed positive reviews and gained almost instant cult status, John Waters including it in his famous series Ten Movies That Will Corrupt You. Around this time, he gave a candid interview about his experiences in the industry to

Terri Gross Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of ''Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining NPR in ...

on NPR's ''Fresh Air''. Working alone, Westmoreland made a documentary during the 2004 election season, following four

Log Cabin Republicans The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) is an organization within the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party which advocates for equal rights for LGBT in the United States, LGBT+ Americans. History Log Cabin Republicans was founded in 1977 ...

as they responded to President George W. Bush's initiative to alter the US Constitution to ensure that

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

was only legal between a man and a woman. The documentary, ''Gay Republicans'' was produced for Andrew Cohen at Bravo, and Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato at World of Wonder. An extended version of the film premiered at the AFI festival in 2004 to a riotous response. It ended up winning the festival's documentary prize and gaining a distribution deal on DVD. Made for a budget of under $500,000, and featuring many first-time actors, ''Quinceañera'' ended up winning both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the

. It went on to win the

, the John Cassavetes Prize at the Spirit Award in 2007, and many other international film festival prizes. It was picked up for the US by

Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produc ...

and distributed in over 25 countries worldwide. The plot focussed on a multigenerational Mexican-American family preparing for their daughter's quinceañera against the back drop of a gentrifying neighbourhood. The film was entirely shot in Echo Park, which is where the directors live. On release, it received strong positive reviews scoring 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The lead actress, Emily Rios, went on to have a successful career starring in '' Friday Night Lights'', ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White ( Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited ...

'', and ''

The Bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...

''.

2007–2015: Career drought and resurgence

After releasing their film ''Quinceañera'' in 2006 to critical success at Sundance, Glatzer and Westmoreland found it difficult to secure funding for further projects during the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

. In the interim, they produced ''Pedro'' (2008), a film about Pedro Zamora – an AIDS activist cast member on MTV's '' The Real World'' in 1993. By 2011, their management had dropped them, however, it was also at this time that Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler of Killer Films had reached out to produce their next projects. Their first collaboration with Killer Films was on '' The Last of Robin Hood'', which premiered at

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

in 2013. Glatzer originally heard of a book about Errol Flynn's last love affair ''

The Big Love ''The Big Love'', is a non-fiction scandalous biographical account of an alleged love affair between actor Errol Flynn and then fifteen-year-old actress Beverly Aadland, as told by her mother, Florence Aadland. The original 1961 edition was firs ...

'' through his mentor,

Jay Presson Allen Jay Presson Allen (March 3, 1922 – May 1, 2006) was an American screenwriter, playwright, stage director, television producer, and novelist. Known for her withering wit and sometimes-off-color wisecracks, she was one of the few women making a ...

. Glatzer and Westmoreland started researching the screenplay in 2003, earning the trust of Florence's daughter, Beverly, and the friendship of author Tedd Thomey and Flynn's chauffeur in his final years, Ronnie Shedlo. They wrote the first draft of the screenplay in 2007 but it was not until 2011, and the attachment of

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards. In addition, he has received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five ...

, that things started to move forward. Production took place in Atlanta, GA in 2013. Critical reception was mixed. Several critics praised Kline's performance as Oscar worthy, whereas others seemed confounded by the movie's lack of a moral stance. Julianne Moore had passed on the film but came back later to star in their next feature''.'' In December 2011, Glatzer and Westmoreland were hired by UK-based producing duo, Lex Lutzus and James Brown, to adapt

's book, ''

,'' about a fifty-year-old linguistics professor who develops early onset Alzheimer's disease. Glatzer had been diagnosed with ALS a few months prior to accepting the job;'''' he and Westmoreland communicated through an iPad when his physical state had deteriorated. Julianne Moore was once again their first choice to play the lead. She was soon joined by

and

Kate Bosworth Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...

, who had been a long time fan of the book and had a grandmother who suffered from dementia. Killer Films from ''The Last of Robin Hood'' came back on as producers and the movie was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics and released in December 2014. Some critics have suggested a connection between Glatzer's own battle with illness and the raw, honest depiction of illness in the film. Glatzer died from ALS on 10 March 2015, shortly after Moore won the

for her performance in this film. She dedicated her award to Glatzer in her acceptance speech.

2015 – present: Solo work

Prior to Glatzer's death, Westmoreland had consulted him on which project to pursue next, to which Glatzer typed out "COLETTE". They had written the screenplay for ''Colette'', based on the life of French author

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

, in 2001, after Glatzer expressed interest in her books. However, the project was never picked up, as producers around town cited the LGBTQ love story as too niche. After years of development, it was announced in 2016 that

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...

would star as the titular author. She was later joined by Dominic West, Eleanor Tomlinson, and Denise Gough. The film premiered at the

2018 Sundance Film Festival The 2018 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to January 28, 2018. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 29, 2017. Awards The following awards were presented: * U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award: ''The ...

to a positive reception and later ignited the first all-nighter auction of the fest, with

Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which ...

and 30WEST later partnering on the US rights. It was Westmoreland's first film after Glatzer's passing and his third film produced by Killer Films. In 2019, Westmoreland was a jury member for the

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

, where his next film '' Earthquake Bird'' premiered. ''Earthquake Bird'' is a noir thriller about a female expat (

Alicia Vikander Alicia Amanda Vikander (, ; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics' Choice Movie Award, as well as receiving nominations for ...

) in Tokyo, Japan who is suspected of murder when her friend ( Riley Keough) goes missing in the wake of a tumultuous love triangle with a local photographer (

Naoki Kobayashi is a Japanese dancer, choreographer, actor and model. He is a performer of J-Pop dance and vocal group Exile, and is a leader and performer of J-Pop dance and vocal group Sandaime J Soul Brothers. He was also a member of Nidaime J Soul Brothe ...

). Written and directed by Westmoreland and based on the novel of the same name by Susanna Jones, ''Earthquake Bird'' was filmed entirely in Japan. It had a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unit ...

on 1 November 2019, before moving onto streaming platform,

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

, on 15 November 2019.

Personal life

Westmoreland met his directing and writing partner Richard Glatzer in 1995. They were married from September 2013 until Glatzer's death of complications from

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

(ALS) on 10 March 2015. In an interview wit
Ikon London Magazine
at the Toronto Film Festival, Wash Westmoreland admitted that his dad "made him make films". "My dad started making films. He worked at the power station all his life, and he was very interested in cinema. He would always show me and my brother films when we were kids and explain. This is a master shot. This is a tracking shot. This is a close-up. And when I was nine, I started making films with our home movie camera with him."

References

External links

* *
Wash West at the Adult Film Database

(includes some biographical data)
Jennifer Prestigiacomo Interview with Wash West and review of The Fluffer

Profile and Interview on ManNet.com

Naked Highway review on GayVN

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p034l13p {{DEFAULTSORT:Westmoreland, Wash 1966 births Living people LGBT film directors LGBT television directors LGBT screenwriters LGBT writers from England Writers from Leeds English expatriates in the United States English film directors English screenwriters English male screenwriters