Stoned

Stoned, the story of Brian Jones released in 2005, marked Stephen Woolley’s directorial debut after a lifetime steeped in movies and filmmaking. After his career began in exhibition, working at the Screen on the Green cinema in London, Stephen programmed and subsequently owned his own cinema, The Scala, which won acclaim for its diverse, original and alternative programming.

In 1982, Stephen launched Palace Video in partnership with Nik Powell, releasing titles such as Eraserhead and Mephisto, before establishing a theatrical arm a year later, when Palace acquired, and distributed some 250 independent and European movies from Diva to When Harry Met Sally.

Moving into production, over the subsequent twenty-year period Stephen has gone on to produce over twenty films and has exec-produced a further twenty including Intermission, starring Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy. With last year’s Breakfast on Pluto, starring Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson, he has continued his long-term partnership with director Neil Jordan which began with The Company of Wolves in 1983. His collaborations with Jordan include The Actors, starring Sir Michael Caine and Dylan Moran, The Good Thief, the Oscar-nominated The End of the Affair, Michael Collins, Interview With The Vampire, and Oscar-winning The Crying Game. Stephen also produced Jordan’s Oscar-nominated Mona Lisa which won numerous international awards. The pair worked together again on High Spirits, The Miracle and The Butcher Boy.

Stephen has also produced (amongst many others) Absolute Beginners with director Julien Temple, and Backbeat - the story of the fifth Beatle. He has also executive produced a number of features including The Hollow Reed, Fever Pitch, Purely Belter and Little Voice starring Sir Michael Caine and Jane Horrocks. —The Script Factory