Daniel Battsek, the veteran producer and executive known for high-level stints at Film4, Miramax, Disney and National Geographic, has been named President of Film at Lincoln Center. The non-profit organization behind the New York Film Festival and many other year-round events, had conducted a search for a new president after the departure last year of […]Daniel Battsek, the veteran producer and executive known for high-level stints at Film4, Miramax, Disney and National Geographic, has been named President of Film at Lincoln Center. The non-profit organization behind the New York Film Festival and many other year-round events, had conducted a search for a new president after the departure last year of
Daniel Battsek, the veteran producer and executive known for high-level stints at Film4, Miramax, Disney and National Geographic, has been named President of Film at Lincoln Center.
The non-profit organization behind the New York Film Festival and many other year-round events, had conducted a search for a new president after the departure last year of Lesli Klainberg. Battsek will start in his new post on May 1, reporting to FLC’s board of directors.
From 2016 to 2024, Battsek was a director and chairman at the UK-based Film 4. He oversaw the production of a number of well-received films, including Oscar winners like The Zone of Interest, Poor Things, All of Us Strangers, The Banshees of Inisherin, and The Favourite. Since 2018, Battsek
has been chairman of Film London, the agency supporting the city’s film and screen industries.
Battsek has been New York-based for key stretches of his career, and also has had extensive ties to the New York Film Festival and other FLC events over the years. From 2005 to 2010, he was President of Filmed Entertainment at Miramax, taking the reins of the Disney-owned minimajor after it parted ways with Harvey and Bob Weinstein. He greenlit and/or acquired projects like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Oscar winners The Queen, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood before Disney eventually decided to exit the specialty business by selling off Miramax in 2010.
Watch on Deadline
As President of National Geographic Films, Battsek acquired and developed titles like the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo as well as National Geographic–branded large-screen and Imax 3D releases.
From 1991 to 2005, Battsek was EVP and Managing Director of UK Distribution and European Production & Acquisitions at Buena Vista International in the UK. In that post, he oversaw the distribution of 18 to 25 films annually from Walt Disney Studios and partners like Pixar and Miramax. He also established a comedy production label in 2001, which financed and produced hits like Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots.
Daniel H. Stern, Chair of the FLC Board of Directors, said Battsek’s “extensive leadership experience, his deep connections within the global film community, and his clear passion for cinema and our mission make him the ideal fit to lead Film at Lincoln Center––especially in this time of great change in the film ecosystem.”
After two years of record attendance at the New York Film Festival and infusions of support like Rolex’s multi-year partnership with the organization, FLC “has the potential to expand its reach, programming, and brand in a rapidly evolving film landscape, both domestically and internationally.”
A seven-person board committee conducted a search for Klainberg’s successor, he noted, and Battsek was its “clear and unanimous choice” for the position.
“I am very honored to be selected to lead Film at Lincoln Center, a globally recognized cornerstone of film culture,” Battsek said. “My goal is to bring the knowledge and experience I’ve gained throughout my career in the film industry to support and elevate FLC’s programming, mission, and brand. Having long admired FLC as a vital New York cultural institution, I am immensely proud to take the helm at such an exciting moment for cinema.”
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.