Aberdeen native Ara Paiaya grew up to find fame as a movie director – and a book from the old Milltimber Primary School in his attic.
The 45-year-old has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars including Golden Globe-winner Mickey Rourke; Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen; Blade Runner and Kill Bill actress Daryl Hannah; and the original Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno.
Now he might need his pal The Hulk to help protect him from angry librarians!
Paiaya stumbled upon the book How To Play Soccer by Ken Jones, which was taken from the Milltimber Primary School Library during his time there in the 1980s.
Was Ara Paiaya the guilty party?
“I was going to return it only to find the school is being demolished,” said Paiaya.
“I’m not sure I want to admit it was in fact me who borrowed the book as 40-plus years of late borrowing fees plus inflation is not something you want to find in the attic!”
The old primary school was replaced with a new £16 million building in 2022 which was built to cope with an influx of newcomers into the growing Aberdeen village.
“Perhaps the new school would like this addition to their library?,” he said.
“Strangely enough, I never played football and preferred full-contact martial arts!”
Finding the book brought back memories of his time at Milltimber and how his love of film was rooted in his early childhood experiences of going to the movies in Aberdeen.
He told me: “I have always had a passion for action movies and martial arts.
“So I had to make my contribution to the genres I enjoy watching so much.
“I remember watching ET in the early 1980s at the Odeon Cinema in Holburn Junction.
“Obviously from my filmography that’s not the genre I would later specialise in.
“I always went to the various cinemas in Aberdeen when I was growing up and things went full circle when some of my own movies started being screened there in the 2000s.
“It’s a shame that the Belmont Cinema is now closed because some of my early films would screen there regularly and I would take part in Q&A sessions with the audience.
“Funnily enough in recent years my last two trips to the cinema were with Lou Ferrigno who I cast as the lead in my film Instant Death and we became friends.
“We watched Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation; and a few years later we watched Kong: Skull Island with my wife and daughter.”
Paiaya, whose family are originally from Armenia, grew up in Milltimber and attended Milltimber PS between 1983 to 1989.
From 1994 he started making films as a secondary school pupil.
He told me: “Looking back Milltimber Primary was very well run.
“It was a very good environment and the teachers were very supportive.
“The balance of discipline and education was well managed by the headmaster Mr Alexander Farquhar. It was a nice little school and a great place to play out of hours whether it was on the huge field or when it was raining in the shelters.
“Overall it was an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
“My favourite teachers were Mrs Anand and Mrs Johnstone.
“Milltimber was a lovely and safe place to play and explore whether it was on my various bikes ranging from BMX bikes, racing bikes and mountain bikes.
“I also enjoyed skateboarding in and around the area.
“I would spend a lot of time at the various kids’ clubs run by Deeside Christian Fellowship in Milltimber so that was a very nice environment to be in.
“I later focused only on martial arts and would train on the grounds of our family home and it was there I also started experimenting with filmmaking. I’m very grateful to my parents Joe and Gigi for creating a happy, loving and safe environment to grow up in.”
Paiaya left Milltimber PS and attended Cults Academy for six years before graduating with a BSc (Hons) Computing Degree from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
As a writer, director, producer, stuntman and actor, there seems to be very few things Paiaya doesn’t excel in and he’s been described as a one-man movie-machine!
“From as far back as I can remember I always knew I wanted to make films in the same genre that appealed to me growing up,” he said.
“I started making the films that the teenage me would have liked to have rented from the local video store.”
Among them was the 25-minute martial arts movie, Dubbed and Dangerous, which was shot entirely in and around Aberdeen and premiered at the Belmont in 2002.
Paiaya took the lead role and his high-kicking screen debut where he did all his own stunts saw him wage a one-man war on the criminal underworld.
Sequels followed and he took his trilogy of small films on the road to Hollywood.
He never looked back
He said: “I ended up meeting, casting and directing all my favourite actors growing up in movies, I’ve produced.
“From posters of them on my walls as a kid to them being on my movie posters and being their boss and eventually friends.
“Talent, hard work and perseverance I guess.”
What was the best movie he has been involved in to date?
“If I had to pick one it would be my film Skin Traffik which I produced and directed.
“It features an all-star Hollywood cast and lots of action.”
Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Eric Roberts, Michael Madsen, Jeff Fahey, Gary Daniels, Dominique Swain and Alan Ford were amongst the A-list cast.
Warning – this video contains explicit language.
“As you can imagine Hollywood actors and actresses can be a handful to deal with.
“Some actors have reputations for being difficult to work with.
“However, this was not the case with Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah and the rest of the Hollywood stars I have directed in my films. They were a pleasure to work with and very passionate about their characters and my film.
“We would work on script adjustments together and I would approve some improvisations which added to the scenes. We would discuss wardrobe adjustments and how characters would look and act.
“It’s a juggling act between being firm and also letting them input and contribute ideas.
“But at the end of the day, it’s my film and I get what I want.”
Paiaya still lives in Aberdeen and is currently developing his new slate of films.
“I have been lucky enough to have been to many places around the world. However, Aberdeen will always be home because that’s where my family are.”
So what’s his advice to anyone looking to follow in his footsteps.
“My advice to youngsters interested in the film industry would be to get out there and just start making your films,” he said.
“Everyone has the technology in their pocket nowadays to film, edit and share so there is no excuse for not bringing your vision to life regardless of your budget.”
