Battsek is a graduate of Oxford Brookes University where he majored in social and political studies.The Daily Telegraph: "The most influential Britons in America: #12 Daniel Battsek – Film studio chief" 9 January 2008
Battsek began his industry career at ''The Hoyts Film Corporation'' in Sydney where he quickly rose through the ranks to general manager in Victoria State overseeing distribution. Between 1985 and 1991, Battsek was managing director of Palace Pictures where he was responsible for the acquisition and distribution of quality independent titles from around the world for release in the UK.
In 1991, Battsek went to work for Disney where he was asked to start up a UK Company as part of the worldwide distribution network for Buena Vista International. As EVP and Managing Director, he oversaw all aspects of UK distribution for 18–25 releases per annum from Walt Disney Studios and their partners including
Pixar
Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
and Miramax Films. His responsibilities also included involvement in the acquisition of distribution rights across numerous territories for such films as ''
Muriel's Wedding
''Muriel's Wedding'' is a 1994 comedy-drama film written and directed by P.J. Hogan. The film, which stars Toni Collette, Bill Hunter and Rachel Griffiths, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding ...
Central Station
Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
Ice Storm
An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm, is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The National Weather Service, U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulatio ...
''.
In 1998, Battsek was promoted to senior vice president, BVI (UK) Limited where he oversaw approximately 35 films per year from the Disney, Touchstone and Miramax labels. With his expanding role, Battsek began acquiring and developing British film projects for worldwide distribution. He created the BVI UK Comedy Label in 2001 which produced four films, ''
High Heels and Low Lifes
''High Heels and Low Lifes'' is a 2001 action comedy-drama film starring Minnie Driver, Mary McCormack, Kevin McNally, Mark Williams, Danny Dyer and Michael Gambon. It was directed by Mel Smith and written by Kim Fuller and Georgia Pritchett. ...
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...
and
Bob Weinstein
Robert Weinstein (born October 18, 1954) is an American film producer. He is the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company (TWC), all of which he co-founded with his older brother, H ...
left the company. Projects that Battsek greenlit and / or acquired whilst at Miramax included Oscar winners '' The Queen'', ''
No Country for Old Men
''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written, directed, produced and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin ...
'' and ''
There Will Be Blood
''There Will Be Blood'' is a 2007 American epic film, epic historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely based on the 1927 novel ''Oil!'' by Upton Sinclair. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kev ...
'', along with Oscar nominees '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'', and '' Happy-Go-Lucky''.
In 2010, Battsek was announced as President of National Geographic Films, replacing Adam Leipzig. During Battsek's time at National Geographic Films, he acquired projects for development and production, operated a boutique theatrical distribution arm for art-house titles and documentaries, including the Oscar-nominated '' Restrepo'', and oversaw National Geographic large-screen and IMAX projects.
Battsek joined Cohen Media Group in 2012 as President,.Jewish Journal: "New York real estate magnate Charles Cohen builds a movie studio" by Danielle Berrin 20 February 2015 working alongside CMG Chairman and CEO Charles S. Cohen in acquiring, producing and distributing top-tier films in a wide range of genres.Broadway World: "Daniel Battsek Named President Of Cohen Media Group" 12 December 2012 Battsek helped make the company North America’s premiere independent theatrical and digital distributor of contemporary art-house and foreign films. He also helped oversee CMG’s Cohen Film Collection, a library of some 700 cinema classics being restored for theatrical and Blu-ray release. Releases included festival-winning favorites ''
Mustang
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...
'' and ''
Rams
In engineering, reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS)Hitchcock/Truffaut'', 2015 Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film nominee, ''
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census.
...
'' by Abderrahmane Sissako and '' My Old Lady'', with Maggie Smith and Kevin Kline.
Battsek joined Film4 as Director in 2016.
Since joining Film4, Battsek has greenlit films including Yorgos Lanthimos' '' The Favourite'', '' Fighting with My Family'' from writer / director Stephen Merchant, Bart Layton's '' American Animals'', '' The Festival'' from the makers of ''
The Inbetweeners
''The Inbetweeners'' is a British coming-of-age television sitcom, which originally aired on E4 from 2008 to 2010 and was created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris. The series follows the misadventures of suburban teenager Willi ...
'', Lenny Abrahamson's ''
The Little Stranger
:The Little Stranger ''is also the title of one of the Color Classics series produced 13 March 1936, in three-strip Technicolor, by Fleischer Studios. It is also the 2018 film adaptation of Waters' novel.''
''The Little Stranger'' is a 2009 g ...
'', and Rungano Nyoni's BAFTA-winning '' I Am Not a Witch'', as well as acquiring the rights to Booker Prize winning author Graham Swift's novel '' Mothering Sunday'' for development with Number 9 Films. Battsek also brought to Film4 John Williams' novel '' Stoner'', a co-production development he initiated in his previous post at Cohen Media Group. Earlier this year, Battsek enjoyed a successful awards season as Executive Producer on Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Oscar-winning ''
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' is a 2017 crime drama film written, directed, and produced by Martin McDonagh. It stars Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes, a Missouri woman who rents three roadside billboards to draw attention to ...
'', a film written and directed by Martin McDonagh, starring Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson.