Paul Jay
Encyclopedia
Paul Jay is a journalist
and filmmaker, and is creator and CEO of The Real News. Jay was born and raised in Toronto
and holds dual-citizenship with the United States
. Jay is the nephew of screenwriter Ted Allan
.
co-directed with Nelofer Pazira
, star of the movie Kandahar. Although Kandahar was fictional, Return to Kandahar follows Pazira's return to Afghanistan
in search of her childhood friend; her first attempt inspired the fictional movie. RTK won the Donald Brittain Gemini award for best social political documentary.
Lost in Las Vegas was a feature length documentary for A&E
. "Equal parts hilarious, heroic and heartfelt... often surprising, occasionally inspiring, frequently hilarious... You've got to see this thing to believe it. It's so good." (Rob Salem, The Toronto Star).
Jay's Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
, a feature length documentary, was screened in 25 major festivals
and won more than a dozen awards. It has been called "one of the most acclaimed Canadian films in years"(eye magazine), "A tale as bizarre as Kafka and as tragic as Shakespeare" (Ottawa Citizen
) and "one of the best films of 1998" (Peter Plagens, art critic for Newsweek
). Hitman was produced in cooperation with the National Film Board of Canada, TVOntario, The 'A' Channel, CTV, A&E, BBC's Storyville, and La Sept/Arte.
Never-Endum Referendum, also a feature length documentary, (CTV, SRC, Arte) was called "a moving, masterful piece of film-making about a tough subject". (Tony Atherton Ottawa Citizen)
Jay was the creator and executive producer of CBC Newsworld
's flagship debate program counterSpin, for six seasons the prime time debate show about the news of the day.
Other work includes Justice Denied
(Turner), The Life and Death of Owen Hart (TVO, A&E), Albanian Journey:End of an Era (TVOntario, CBC Witness), The Birth of Language (TVOntario and Discovery U.S.), Here's to the Cowboy (CBC, Disney, London Weekend, Central TV). Jay exec-produced Through Thick and Thin
(CBCNewsworld), Machine Gun (3x1 Discovery Canada&US), and The Famine Within (TVO). Jay was the co-creator and co-executive producer of Face Off, a nightly prime time debate program that ran four years on CBC Newsworld
.
A past chair of the Canadian Independent Film Caucus (now called DOC), the main organization of documentary filmmakers in Canada, Jay is the founding chair of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. He chaired the Hot Docs! board for its first five years.
Currently, Jay works as the main producer on his flagship news network The Real News. He worked with Gore Vidal
for the launch of TRNN, which included the documentary: History of the National Security State. In this, Paul interviews Vidal, as well as Lawrence Wilkerson
, Ray McGovern
, and Antonia Juhasz
. He also occasionally writes articles, such as for In These Times
.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and filmmaker, and is creator and CEO of The Real News. Jay was born and raised in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and holds dual-citizenship with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Jay is the nephew of screenwriter Ted Allan
Ted Allan
Ted Allan was a Jewish Canadian writer, several of whose books were made into motion pictures.Ted Allan was born in Montreal as Alan Herman. In the 1930s he fought against fascism in Spanish Civil War, along with another Canadian, Norman Bethune...
.
Film and television work
Return to Kandahar was a feature length documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
co-directed with Nelofer Pazira
Nelofer Pazira
Nelofer Pazira is an award-winning Afghan-Canadian director, actress, journalist and author. She grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she lived through ten years of Soviet occupation before escaping with her family to Pakistan...
, star of the movie Kandahar. Although Kandahar was fictional, Return to Kandahar follows Pazira's return to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in search of her childhood friend; her first attempt inspired the fictional movie. RTK won the Donald Brittain Gemini award for best social political documentary.
Lost in Las Vegas was a feature length documentary for A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
. "Equal parts hilarious, heroic and heartfelt... often surprising, occasionally inspiring, frequently hilarious... You've got to see this thing to believe it. It's so good." (Rob Salem, The Toronto Star).
Jay's Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows is a 1998 documentary film, written by Paul Jay, which follows World Wrestling Federation superstar Bret Hart during his last year in the WWF, from his WWF Championship victory at SummerSlam to his final match with the company at Survivor Series on November 9,...
, a feature length documentary, was screened in 25 major festivals
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
and won more than a dozen awards. It has been called "one of the most acclaimed Canadian films in years"(eye magazine), "A tale as bizarre as Kafka and as tragic as Shakespeare" (Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
) and "one of the best films of 1998" (Peter Plagens, art critic for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
). Hitman was produced in cooperation with the National Film Board of Canada, TVOntario, The 'A' Channel, CTV, A&E, BBC's Storyville, and La Sept/Arte.
Never-Endum Referendum, also a feature length documentary, (CTV, SRC, Arte) was called "a moving, masterful piece of film-making about a tough subject". (Tony Atherton Ottawa Citizen)
Jay was the creator and executive producer of CBC Newsworld
CBC Newsworld
CBC News Network is a Canadian English language Category C specialty news channel owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. It is the world's third-oldest television service of this nature, after CNN in the United States and...
's flagship debate program counterSpin, for six seasons the prime time debate show about the news of the day.
Other work includes Justice Denied
Justice Denied
Justice Denied is the only regularly published print magazine in the world solely devoted to issues related to wrongful convictions. The magazine prints stories about wrongful convictions, miscarriages of justice, and criminal justice issues related to prosecution and conviction of innocent people...
(Turner), The Life and Death of Owen Hart (TVO, A&E), Albanian Journey:End of an Era (TVOntario, CBC Witness), The Birth of Language (TVOntario and Discovery U.S.), Here's to the Cowboy (CBC, Disney, London Weekend, Central TV). Jay exec-produced Through Thick and Thin
Through Thick and Thin
Through Thick and Thin is the second full length album by San Diego punk band Dogwood.-Track listing:# All Hands On Deck# Preschool Days# Stairway to Sin# Patriotic Pride# Tribute# Daddy Dearest# Through Thick and Thin# In The Line of Fire# Jesus...
(CBCNewsworld), Machine Gun (3x1 Discovery Canada&US), and The Famine Within (TVO). Jay was the co-creator and co-executive producer of Face Off, a nightly prime time debate program that ran four years on CBC Newsworld
CBC Newsworld
CBC News Network is a Canadian English language Category C specialty news channel owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. It is the world's third-oldest television service of this nature, after CNN in the United States and...
.
A past chair of the Canadian Independent Film Caucus (now called DOC), the main organization of documentary filmmakers in Canada, Jay is the founding chair of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. He chaired the Hot Docs! board for its first five years.
Currently, Jay works as the main producer on his flagship news network The Real News. He worked with Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
for the launch of TRNN, which included the documentary: History of the National Security State. In this, Paul interviews Vidal, as well as Lawrence Wilkerson
Lawrence Wilkerson
Lawrence B. "Larry" Wilkerson is a retired United States Army Colonel and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell...
, Ray McGovern
Ray McGovern
Raymond McGovern is a retired CIA officer turned political activist. McGovern was a Federal employee under seven U.S. presidents over 27 years, presenting the morning intelligence briefings at the White House for many of them.-Early life:...
, and Antonia Juhasz
Antonia Juhasz
Antonia Juhasz is the Director of the Energy Program at Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based human rights non-profit organization. She is a policy-analyst, author and activist....
. He also occasionally writes articles, such as for In These Times
In These Times
In These Times is a politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published by the Institute for Public Affairs in Chicago...
.
External links
- j films inc.
- The Real News
- Interview on Media Matters with Bob McChesneyRobert W. McChesneyRobert Waterman McChesney is an American professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication. His work concentrates on the history and political economy of communication, emphasizing the role media play in democratic...
- Paul Jay and The Real News To Bring Us Video-Based News Without the Government and Corporate Spin