Aaron I. Butler is an American film and television editor and producer. Butler graduated from

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

and began his career working with two-time

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-nominated director Bill Jersey at the Saul Zaentz Film Center in Berkeley. His first broadcast editor credit was Learning To Fly (1999) which won gold medals at the U.S. International Film Festival and the New York Festivals. He also edited on the documentary series The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow (2002). The series won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

and the IDA Award for Best Limited Series and was nominated for three News and Documentary Emmys. Butler moved to Los Angeles where he edited the

Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States). * Sundance Channel (Canada) * Sundance Channel (Netherlands) * Sundance Channel (Europe) Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV Sundance TV ...

documentary series Pleasure for Sale (2008), followed by the final season

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

Taxicab Confessions ''Taxicab Confessions'' is a television series of hidden camera documentaries that aired on HBO from 1995 through 2006. When passengers enter the cab, they are recorded with several small cameras hidden in the taxi. The producer prompts passen ...

(2010). He then edited and produced the HBO documentary American Winter (2013) and was nominated for a News and Documentary

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

and an ACE Eddie Award for it. J. Butler then edited on the Showtime documentary series ''

Time of Death ''Time of Death'' is a 2013 American documentary television series. It airs on the premium cable station Showtime. The series follows the lives and deaths of eight individuals and their families. It features Nicole "Little" Lencioni, an America ...

'' (2013) which won Best Limited Series at the IDA Awards and the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

documentary '' L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin'' (2014) which won Outstanding Documentary at the GLAAD Media Awards. He also edited the final episode of ''The Sixties'' (2014) which was nominated for Best Limited Series at the IDA Awards. Butler began editing features starting with ''

I Am Michael ''I Am Michael'' is a 2015 American biographical drama film written and directed by Justin Kelly. Based on the journalist Benoit Denizet-Lewis' ''New York Times Magazine'' article "My Ex-Gay Friend", the film stars James Franco, Zachary Quin ...

'' (2015) which was executive produced by

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures. His ...

and premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. ''I Am Michael'' was nominated for Best First Feature at the Berlinale International Film Festival. The next feature he edited was In Dubious Battle (2016) directed by

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), ''Milk (2008 American film), Milk'' (200 ...

. It premiered at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

and won the Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award. Next Butler produced the documentary feature Out of Iraq (2016). He then edited and produced the theatrical documentary feature Cries From Syria (2017) with

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

nominated director

Evgeny Afineevsky Evgeny Mikhailovich Afineevsky (; born October 21, 1972) is an Israeli-American film director, producer and cinematographer. He has an Academy Award nomination and Emmy nominations for his documentary ''Winter on Fire''. Afineevsky r ...

. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO. Butler won the Peter Jennings Award from the Overseas Press Club, and was nominated for an ACE Eddie Award, a PGA Award, and two News and Documentary Emmy Awards for his work on Cries From Syria. Butler's latest feature is ''

JT Leroy Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy, or simply JT LeRoy, is a literary persona created in the 1990s by American writer Laura Albert. LeRoy was presented as the author of three books of fiction, which were purportedly semi-autobiographical accounts by a t ...

'' (2018). The film was written and directed by Justin Kelly and stars

Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born ...

Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe ...

, and

Diane Kruger Diane Kruger (; Heidkrüger; ; born 15 July 1976) is a German actress. Early in her career, she gained worldwide recognition and received the Trophée Chopard from the Cannes Film Festival. Kruger became known for her roles in films such as ...

. Butler is a member of the

American Cinema Editors Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editing, film editors who are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the ...

and is represented by

the Gersh Agency Gersh (also known as The Gersh Agency) is an international entertainment and sports agency headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, New York City, and Madrid, with offices and representatives in 14 countries. Established in 1949 by Phil Gers ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Aaron I. Living people University of California, Berkeley alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Film producers from California Primetime Emmy Award winners