Wash Westmoreland (born March 4, 1966) is an independent film director who has worked in television, documentaries, independent films. Westmoreland's began directing in the adult film world of the late-nineties making deliberately ironic post-modern porn. His 2006 release, "Quinceañera", had a double Sundance win (Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize), and also picked up the Humanitas Prize, and the John Cassavetes Spirit Award. In 2008 Westmoreland produced an MTV film "Pedro" about AIDS activist Pedro Zamora that was introduced on MTV by U.S. President Bill Clinton. Working with his partner Richard Glatzer, he is slated to direct "Hello Darkness," a vampire movie set in the North of England and "Sensational," a feature for HBO.
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Wash Westmoreland was born Paul Westmoreland in Leeds, England on March 4, 1966.[1] His father was a maintenance engineer for the CEGB and his mother worked as a receptionist at a local hair salon. He was named "Paul" after a member of the The Beatles but received the nickname "Wash" as a child.[1] He finished high school intending to pursue science at university level, but after a short disruptive spell in a religious cult changed his direction to study social science. 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 emigrated to America in 1992, initially living in New York City, then moving to New Orleans where worked washing dishes and cleaning houses. In 1995 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film.
After working as a camera assistant on Bruce LaBruce's movie Hustler White, Westmoreland decided to enter the Adult Entertainment world to make what he described as "post-modern pornography" and research material for a feature film project The Fluffer. He managed to land a job directing for BIG Video, a minor label and directed under the name Wash West. Toolbox and Dr Jerkoff and Mr Hard were his first significant films.
In 1997 he wrote and directed Naked Highway for BIG Video. This film starred Jim Buck and received high praise from many critics and was filled with daring music, deep saturated color alternating with washed out sections and black and white sequences. It was also released in a softcore edit and made available in more mainstream outlets. The movie swept both the 1997 Adult Erotic Gay Video Awards and the 1998 AVN Awards.
It was also during this time that Westmoreland started to make his presence in mainstream films felt. He appeared briefly in Velvet Goldmine by director Todd Haynes. Haynes would go on to work with Westmoreland as a producer on Quinceañera.
Westmoreland went on to direct the cat-and-mouse thriller Animus for All Worlds Video, which channelled the millennium fears of the time (1999) and featured performances from Blake Harper and Thomas Lloyd, who both won GayVN Awards for their work.
Taking a different direction, he began to produce a series of comic videos for All Worlds Video under the name of Bud Light. Of these, The Devil is a Bottom won the 2001 GayVN Award as Best Sex Comedy and was surprisingly listed as one of the LA Weekly Critic's Top Ten Movies of the year.[2]
His work in the adult industry culminated in 2001 independent film The Fluffer which was loosely based on many real events and characters. Around this time he gave a candid interview to Terri Gross on NPR's Fresh Air. After this he only made two more adult movies; Seven Deadly Sins Gluttony for All Worlds Video, based on Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and a parody of the horror film The Ring called The Hole for Jet Set Productions which dealt with a videotape that would turn those who watched it gay in seven days. Westmoreland picked up many GayVN Awards for both titles. The Hole was also released in a softcore edit for more mainstream outlets.
Westmoreland's first mainstream film The Fluffer, was an exploration of obsession and power relations set with the adult video industry. The film received generally favorable reviews and was successful enough that West proved he could helm more mainstream films. He co-directed this film with his professional and personal partner, Richard Glatzer.[3]
After this Westmoreland segued into television work, making a successful VH1 show called Totally Gay which charted the evolution of mainstream gay culture from 1993-2003.
Then, Westmoreland made a documentary called Gay Republicans about the Log Cabin Republican reaction to President George W. Bush's support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the 2004 election campaign. The doc premiered on Trio cable network on election night. Shortly after, a longer version was shown at the 2004 American Film Institute festival where it picked up the Audience Award for best documentary.
Then came another collaboration with Glatzer -- Quinceañera -- about a 14 year old Hispanic girl discovering she is pregnant and being kicked out of the house. The film also received generally favorable reviews, reaching 86% on RottenTomatoes.com and has won awards at various film festivals including the Sundance Film Festival where it picked up the audience award for best narrative feature as well as the Grand Jury Prize.
Quinceañera also received the Humanitas Prize for best screenplay of an independent film and the John Cassavetes Prize at the Independent Spirit Award for best low-budget independent movie.
As Wash Westmoreland
As Wash West
As Bud Light
In addition, Wash West directed the following winners for Best Gay Video:
He also directed the following Best Sex Scene Winners:
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jerry Douglas for Flesh and Blood |
AVN Awards for Best Director-Gay Video for Naked Highway 1998 |
Succeeded by Kristen Bjorn/Gino Colbert & Sam Slam for Man Watcher/Three Brothers |
| Preceded by Chi Chi LaRue/John Rutherford for Echoes/Out of Athens |
GayVN Awards for Best Director for Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony 2002 |
Succeeded by Chi Chi LaRue & John Rutherford for Deep South: The Big and the Easy |
| Preceded by Chi Chi LaRue & John Rutherford for Deep South: The Big and the Easy |
GayVN Awards for Best Director for The Hole 2004 |
Succeeded by John Rutherford & Jerry Douglas for BuckleRoos 1-2 |
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