Steve Bannatyne

Steve Bannatyne
Born1970
Muskegon, Michigan
CitizenshipUnited States of America
EducationGrand Valley State University
OccupationFilm producer
Years active1995-present
Notable work

Steve Bannatyne (born 1970)[1] is an American film producer, best known for his work on the films If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front and Z for Zachariah.[2][3]

Early life

Steve Bannatyne was born to Jim and Sue Bannatyne in Muskegon, Michigan in 1970 and graduated from Port Huron High School.[1] He attended film school at Grand Valley State University and then moved to Toronto in 1995 to pursue a career in film.[4][3] He later moved to San Francisco and got his first significant job as a production assistant on the 1999 film, Bicentennial Man.[3]

Career

After working in film in San Francisco, Bannatyne co-formed a production company, Lucky Hat Entertainment, in 2007.[3] In 2008, he co-executive produced The Order of Myths, which earned Bannatyne a Peabody Award in 2009.[5][6] That year, Lucky Hat and IndiePix Films also entered an agreement to produce six films over three years. The first two, P-Star Rising and Entre Nos, premiered that year at the Tribeca Film Festival.[7]

Through Lucky Hat, Bannatyne produced the 2011 film, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front.[8] The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, winning " Best Documentary Editing" and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.[9]

In 2015, Z for Zachariah premiered at Sundance, although Bannatyne had been developing the film since 2009. It was the largest budget film he had worked on at that point.[3][10] Bannatyne was also a producer on the 2015 film Manson Family Vacation.[11] In 2016, he produced the documentary Night School, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.[12]

Bannatyne has produced multiple documentaries about his home state of Michigan. The Russian Five (2019) told the story of the first five Russians to play hockey together in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings.[13] Boblo Boats (2022) covers the history of the Boblo Island Amusement Park. Bannatyne's grandfather was the captain of the SS Columbia, the ship that carried passengers to the island.[4]

Bannatye has also worked in film distribution.[14] In addition to distribution for The Russian Five, Lucky Hat Entertainment was one of two companies that handled distribution for the 2020 documentary Runner.[15][16] In 2022, they distributed Boblo Boats with a regional release to 20 theaters in the Midwest, followed by a release on streaming platforms.[17]

Filmography

Year Title Role Director Notes
1999 Bicentennial Man Production Assistant Chris Columbus [18]
2001 Sweet November Production Assistant Pat O'Connor [18]
2008 The Order of Myths Co-Executive Producer Margaret Brown [6]
2009 Everything Strange and New Executive Producer Frazer Bradshaw [18]
P-Star Rising Executive Producer [18]
Entre Nos Executive Producer [19]
2011 If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front Executive Producer Marshall Curry [9]
2012 Informant Producer Jamie Meltzer [18]
2014 Ping-Pong Summer Producer Michael Tuly [18]
2015 Z for Zachariah Executive Producer Craig Zobel [10]
Manson Family Vacation Producer J. Davis [11]
2019 The Russian Five Producer/Distributor Joshua Riehl [13]
2020 Runner Distributor Bill Gallagher [16]
2022 Boblo Boats Producer/Distributor Aaron Shillinger [4]

References

  1. ^ a b Katz, Marc (25 February 2012). "Local connections to Oscar". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Port Huron native produced Oscar-nominated doc "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"". MLive. 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e Wittkowski, Tony (2015-01-24). "Michigan native's new movie premiering at Sundance". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  4. ^ a b c Golat, McKenna (2022-08-08). "Boblo Boats documentary to come to Blue Water Area". Times Herald. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  5. ^ White, Tom (2010-04-01). "Peabody Awards Announced; 'Order of Myths,' 'Brick City' Among Winners". International Documentary Association. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  6. ^ a b Anderson, John (2008-01-21). "The Order of Myths". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  7. ^ Brooks, Brian (2009-04-17). "IndiePix and Lucky Hat Enter Production Pact". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  8. ^ Anderson, John (2011-01-26). "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front". Variety. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  9. ^ a b Lowe, Justin (2011-01-30). "SUNDANCE REVIEW: Festival Winner 'If a Tree Falls' a Compelling Doc About Radical Environmentalism". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  10. ^ a b Wittkowski, Tony (2015-01-24). "Port Huron native's new movie in Sundance Film Festival". Times Herald. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  11. ^ a b "'Manson Family Vacation': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  12. ^ Mahnken, Kevin (2017-10-08). "Acclaimed Netflix Documentary 'Night School' Profiles Indianapolis Dropouts Getting a Second Chance at Innovative Charter School". The 74. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  13. ^ a b Chambers, Mike (2019-03-20). "Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry revisited: The Russian Five invades Denver". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  14. ^ Luchies, Adam (2022-09-16). "'Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale' to be shown at Grand Rapids and Holland movie theaters September 23-29". FOX 17 West Michigan News (WXMI). Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  15. ^ Hinds, Julie (6 June 2019). "Red Wings doc scores with DIY distribution". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  16. ^ a b Scheck, Frank (2020-06-18). "'Runner': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  17. ^ Graham, Adam. "'Boblo Boats' documentary tells ferry tale of Detroit's yesteryear". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "Steve Bannatyne". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  19. ^ Kay, Jeremy (15 April 2009). "IndiePix, Lucky Hat Entertainment sign six-film production deal". Retrieved 28 October 2024.