John Battsek

Battsek at the Montclair Film Festival, May 2015

John Saul Adrian Battsek (born September 1963)[1] is a British film producer of documentary films. In 2020, Battsek co-founded[2] production company Ventureland with producers Kerstin Emhoff, Ali Brown, and director Paul Hunter.[3]

He has produced[4] a number of feature documentaries, including One Day in September and Searching for Sugar Man, both winners of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. He also produced the Peabody Award-winning documentary film Bobi Wine: The People's President.[5]

Career and awards

Battsek is the son of Micha Battsek, a godson of Albert Einstein. He attended Highgate School until 1977.[6][1] In 1999 he conceived and produced Academy Award winning One Day in September.[7]

He served as an executive producer on Academy Award-winning Searching For Sugar Man, Academy Award nominated Restrepo & Winter On Fire and BAFTA award-winning documentaries Hillsborough and The Imposter.[2]

In 2013 Battsek produced Greg Barker's Emmy Award-winning documentary Manhunt: The Search For Bin Laden. In 2016 Battsek produced Peabody Award-winning and BAFTA-nominated Listen to Me Marlon. In 2017 Battsek produced Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Film. In 2018 Battsek produced Emmy Award-winning documentary Forever Pure.[8]

Battsek was nominated for a PGA Award in 2010 and in 2011 for Sergio and The Tillman Story, respectively. He was also nominated in 2015 for The Green Prince. In 2013 he received the Grierson Trust Trustees' Award.

In 2019, he produced the AACTA Award-winning Australian feature-length documentary, The Australian Dream.

Under the Ventureland banner as Managing Director/Producer, John received an Academy Award nomination for the documentary Bobi Wine: The People’s President. The film later received a Peabody Award at the 84th ceremony in June of 2024.[9] He also produced Emmy Award winners The Rescue and BECKHAM, BAFTA nominee Wham!, Sports Emmy winner The Deepest Breath, and Critics Choice nominee If These Walls Could Sing. He also served as a producer on the two-time Emmy-winning Rising Phoenix, and biopics Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker, Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In and Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story.

Filmography

• One Day in September (1999) – producer
• The Game of Their Lives (2002) – executive producer
• Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop (2003) – producer
• Peace One Day (2004) – co-producer
• Lila Says (Lila Dit Ca) (2004) – co-producer
• A State of Mind (2004) – producer
• Black Sun (2005) – producer
• Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006) – producer
• Crossing the Line (2006) – executive producer
• In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) – executive producer
• My Kid Could Paint That (2007) – executive producer
• In Prison My Whole Life (2007) – co-producer
• Sergio (2009) – producer
• The Age of Stupid (2009) – executive producer
• Restrepo (2010) – executive producer
• The Stones in Exile – (2010) – producer
• The Tillman Story – (2010) – producer
• Fire in Babylon – (2010) – producer
• Project Nim – (2011) – executive producer
• Bob & the Monster – (2011) – executive producer
• Better This World – (2011) – executive producer
• Koran by Heart – (2011) – producer
• The Imposter – (2012) – executive producer
• Searching for Sugar Man – (2012) – executive producer
• How I Live Now – (2013) – producer
• Hillsborough – (2014) – executive producer
• Listen to Me Marlon – (2015) – producer
• We Are X – (2016) – producer
• Keep Quiet – (2016) – executive producer
• The Fall – (2016) – executive producer
• George Best – All by Himself – (2016) – producer
• Forever Pure – (2016) – executive producer
• Five Came Back – 2017 – producer
• Legion of Brothers – 2017 – producer
• The Final Year – 2017 – producer
• Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars – 2017 – producer
• Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist – 2018 – producer
• Studio 54 – 2018 – producer
• If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd – 2018 – producer
• The Serengeti Rules – 2018 – executive producer
• Mike Wallace Is Here – 2019 – producer
• The Australian Dream – 2019 – producer
• Andy Murray: Resurfacing – 2019 – producer
• Citizen K – 2019 – producer
• Circus of Books – 2019 – executive producer
• Sid and Judy – 2019 – producer
• Mystify: Michael Hutchence – 2019 – producer
• Oliver Sacks: His Own Life – 2019 – executive producer
• Rising Phoenix – 2020 – producer
• Final Account – 2020 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom Come – 2020 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeBelushi – 2020 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeThe Trials of Oscar Pistorius – 2020 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeThe Rescue – 2021 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeThe Real Charlie Chaplin – 2021 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeDetainee 001 – 2021 – executive producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeSir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In – 2021 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeFootball's Darkest Secret – 2021 – executive producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeLady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story – 2021 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeFIFA Uncovered – 2022 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeThe Sound of 007 – 2022 – producer
• 'Til Kingdom ComeIf These Walls Could Sing – 2022 – producer
• Wham! – 2023 – producer
• The Deepest Breath – 2023 – producer
• Beckham – 2023 – producer
• Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker – 2023 – producer
• Bobi Wine: The People's President – 2023 – producer
• 99 – 2024 – producer
• Elton John: Never Too Late – 2024 – executive producer

References

1. Hughes, Patrick; Davies, Ian F (1988). Highgate School Register (7th ed.). p. 394.
2. "John Battsek".
3. Docs Supremo John Battsek Exits Passion Pictures After 20 Years To Set Up LA & London-Based Ventureland With Prettybird Trio. Deadline.
4. Morfoot, Addie (27 April 2023). "Documentary Filmmakers Turn to Non-Traditional Distribution to Get Their Films Seen". Variety. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
5. https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/bobi-wine/
6. McLaren, Stuart. Saving Einstein. p. 104. ISBN 978 1 909796 89 8.
7. "Team America". Future Movies. 3 February 2000.
8. "Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars". 24 November 2017.
9. https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/bobi-wine/

External links

• John Battsek at IMDb
• Interview with John Battsek
• LIVE FOREVER - Movie Q&A with John Dower and John Battsek
• John Battsek talks Oscar-winning documentary career, future projects