PAUL JAY FILMS
A film production company based in Toronto.
about paul jay
Paul Jay is a documentary filmmaker and journalist whose work has consistently exposed how power operates behind the curtain of spectacle and state. From the world of professional wrestling to Las Vegas casinos, from Afghan battlefields to Baltimore’s streets and the halls of Congress, his films and journalism reveal the systems that shape human life.
Jay is currently producing and directing the feature documentary “How to Stop a Nuclear War,” based on Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg’s book “The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner.” The film is narrated by acclaimed actor Emma Thompson, with additional support from Kristen Stewart.
The film picks up where “The Day After” and “Oppenheimer” left off, unfolding as a gripping political thriller that unveils the stark realities of present-day nuclear dangers and the little-known history of the “institutional madness” that has brought us perilously close to the edge. Starting from the present and urgent threat, the documentary explores how we got here and proposes concrete solutions to greatly reduce the risk of nuclear war. The film tells the story of Ellsberg’s journey from cold warrior hawk to anti-nuclear weapons activist, as he reveals the secrets and lies of nuclear war planning and discovers a culture of institutional madness and profit-making at the root of U.S. nuclear war strategy.
Jay has completed over 40 hours of interviews with Ellsberg and secured participation from more than 100 distinguished experts, including Senator Sam Nunn, Governor Jerry Brown, Richard Rhodes, Kai Bird, Peter Kuznick, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Ben Rhodes, and many others.
The Hollywood Reporter
The project has taken Jay to speaking engagements at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, the Emergency Festival in Reggio Emilia, and the Outrider Nuclear Summit in Little Rock, as well as universities including UMass, Tufts, and the University of Toronto.
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Kristen Stewart Warns the World Is “Dangerously Close” to Nuclear Catastrophe
Kristen Stewart backs Paul Jay’s Ellsberg documentary in a fundraising sizzle reel obtained by THR.
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‘The Day After’ Director Nicholas Meyer to Exec Produce Daniel Ellsberg Documentary ‘How to Stop Nuclear War’
Nicholas Meyer, who directed The Day After in 1983, joins Paul Jay’s Ellsberg documentary as executive producer.
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Barbra Streisand Kept Pentagon Papers Leaker Daniel Ellsberg Out of Jail, Says Filmmaker
Paul Jay tells THR how a 1973 Streisand fundraiser kept Ellsberg’s trial alive long enough for charges to be dismissed.
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Emma Thompson to Narrate Daniel Ellsberg Documentary ‘How to Stop Nuclear War’
Oscar-winner Emma Thompson joins Paul Jay’s Daniel Ellsberg documentary as narrator, THR reports.
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Daniel Ellsberg ‘How to Stop Nuclear War’ Documentary in the Works
The Hollywood Reporter announces Paul Jay’s feature documentary on Daniel Ellsberg, based on the whistleblower’s book Doomsday Machine.
