John Battsek
Encyclopedia
Biography
John Battsek is a UK documentary filmmaker. His most famous is One Day in SeptemberOne Day in September
One Day in September is a 1999 documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald examining the 5 September 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany...
(1999), the Oscar-winning feature-length documentary about the tragic events of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
. At the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
he launched three new feature documentaries, My Kid Could Paint That, Crossing The Line, and In The Shadow of the Moon, securing distribution deals for more than $4 million. Since then, Battsek has taken a succession of films to the Sundance Festival, most recently the grand jury prize winner Restrepo, which he executive produced, and The Weinstein Co. acquisition The Tillman Story, which he produced. He is also Head of Film at Passion Pictures
Passion Pictures
Passion Pictures is a film and animation production company based in Rathbone Place, off Oxford Street in London's West End. They have been responsible for much of the production of the visual element of the animated rock band Gorillaz....
.
His latest projects, Restrepo and The Tillman Story, are both on general release in cinemas across the USA.
Filmography
- The Serpent's KissThe Serpent's KissThe Serpent's Kiss is a 1997 film directed by Philippe Rousselot. It is a story about a Dutch garden architect named Meneer Chrome who has been hired by a wealthy metalworker to create an extravagant garden. The film also stars Greta Scacchi and Richard E...
(1997) - One Day in SeptemberOne Day in SeptemberOne Day in September is a 1999 documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald examining the 5 September 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany...
(1999) – Producer - The Game of Their LivesThe Game of Their Lives (2002 film)The Game of Their Lives or "Chollima Chookgudan" is a 2002 documentary film directed by Daniel Gordon and his executive Nicholas Bonner about the seven surviving members of the North Korean national football team who participated in the Football World Cup 1966...
(2002) – Executive producer - Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit PopLive Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit PopLive Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop is a 2003 documentary film written and directed by John Dower. The documentary is a study of popular culture in the United Kingdom during the mid to late 1990s...
(2003) – Producer - Peace One DayPeace One DayPeace One Day was founded by British documentary filmmaker and actor Jeremy Gilley in September 1999. The charity promotes the idea of one day a year free of conflict and war, one day of a global truce regardless of all kinds of conflict. The UN had already declared the third Tuesday of September...
(2004) – Co-producer - Lila SaysLila SaysLila Says is a 2004 French film directed by Ziad Doueiri. The plot is based on the novel of the same title written by "Chimo" .-Plot:...
(Lila Dit Ca) (2004) – Co-producer - Black SunBlack Sun (documentary)Black Sun is a documentary film directed by Gary Tarn. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005.Gary Tarn explores the story of Hugues de Montalembert, a New York-based artist and filmmaker who was blinded by a vicious attack in 1978...
(2005) – Producer - A State of MindA State of MindA State of Mind is a 2004 documentary film directed by Daniel Gordon and produced by Nicholas Bonner. The film follows two North Korean child gymnasts and their families for over eight months during training for the 2003 Pyongyang mass games...
(2005) – Producer - Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006) – Producer
- In the Shadow of the MoonIn the Shadow of the MoonIn the Shadow of the Moon is a 2006 British documentary film about the United States' manned missions to the Moon. It premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Audience Award. In March 2008, it was the first film to win the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Best Film...
(2006) – Executive producer - Crossing the Line (2006) – Executive producer
- My Kid Could Paint ThatMy Kid Could Paint ThatMy Kid Could Paint That is a 2007 documentary film by director Amir Bar-Lev . The movie follows the early artistic career of Marla Olmstead, a young girl from Binghamton, NY who gains fame first as a child prodigy painter of abstract art, and then becomes the subject of controversy concerning...
(2007) – Executive producer - In Prison My Whole LifeIn Prison My Whole LifeIn Prison My Whole Life is a 2008 documentary film about Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia was arrested the day William Francome was born. When Francome made this film he was 25 years old and Mumia was still on death row....
(2007) – Co-producer - Sergio (2008) – Producer
- The Age of StupidThe Age of StupidThe Age of Stupid is a 2009 British film by Franny Armstrong, director of McLibel and Drowned Out, and founder of 10:10, and first-time producer Lizzie Gillett...
(2008) – Executive producer - Restrepo (2010) - Executive producer
- The Stones in Exile - (2010) - Producer
- The Tillman Story - (2010) - Producer
Reviews and interviews
- "A Passion for the Truth" – Variety
- Interview with John Battsek – Tiscali Film and TV
- Live Forever Q&A – Contact Music
- http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/movies/20tillman.html?ref=movies
- http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-tillman-20100820,0,5659182.story