Paul Anthony Nelson

Since teaming with his partner Perri Cummings to form independent production company Cinema Viscera in 2010, Melbourne-born director/screenwriter/editor Paul Anthony Nelson has created fresh spins on beloved genre conventions for 21st century audiences. His first short, 2008's 'Interchange', an ensemble drama of AFL football fans, won a prize in the Super Short Film category at the L.A. All Sports Film Festival in 2012. After that, he directed the backstage comedy short 'Why Must The Show Go On?' to a successful premiere at the Australian Centre of the Moving Image in 2010. That year, Paul also graduated with High Distinction from RMIT with a Diploma in Screen & Media. His graduation short, 'Scope' - a tale of a blind female sniper, in a 1970s 'grindhouse' style - displayed both Paul's grasp of film history and playful subversion of genre tropes. In 2011, Paul entered the ABCs of Death 26th Director contest with the horror short 'T is for Talk Radio' (aka 'Talkback'), a "blunt force social commentary" upon the evils of manipulative conservative media. After a five year hiatus of writing and development, Paul returned to write, direct and edit the short thriller 'Cigarette' in 2016. A "cautionary fable" about assumed consent, as male privilege crashes headlong into female pain, 'Cigarette' world premiered at Monster Fest in Melbourne. After this, Paul and Perri made Cinema Viscera's first feature film, the modern comedy/Film Noir 'Trench', premiering in 2018. Costing just $27,363, 'Trench' was the first ever feature to premiere at the Setting Sun Film Festival, screening in Melbourne's historic Sun Theatre. Cinema Viscera's second feature, the modern Australian gothic horror film 'Apparitions', made its world premiere at Melbourne's Monster Fest in 2021 and is due for release across the world in 2022.