Born in Brighton, England, Paul studied Geography in Manchester then worked on glaciers in Pakistan, before deciding to become a filmmaker.

"Bomber", described by Variety as Paul's "impressive feature debut", premiered in competition at SXSW before winning over 12 Best Feature, Director and Actor awards at festivals worldwide, securing North American distribution through Film Movement. The Chicago Reader described "Bomber" as a "truthful indie comedy masterpiece... writer and first-time feature director Paul Cotter never puts a foot wrong." while Ray Pride in NewCity described the film as "one of the most accomplished no-budget movies I've seen... inspired... beautifully composed."