When Daniel Battsek took over as president of Miramax Films in October of 2005, he had some awfully big shoes to fill -- those of Harvey Weinstein, the company's founder, who was known as much for his confrontational style with filmmakers and Disney brass as he was for orchestrating brilliant Oscar campaigns.
But Battsek, a transplanted Londoner who operates the Disney specialty label out of New York, quickly established his own style and took advantage of his U.K. connections. Having worked for Disney since 1991, Battsek wasn't exactly a greenhorn. Right off the bat, films by Brits Anthony Minghella ("Breaking and Entering") and Stephen Frears ("Mrs. Henderson Presents") allowed him to get his feet wet in his new perch atop Miramax. He also scored an Oscar in his first year on the job with Toronto Film Festival pickup "Tsotsi."
And when "The Queen" (2006) became an awards-season juggernaut, collecting six Oscar noms and a slew of awards for star Helen Mirren, the new Miramax had solidified its cred. This past year, Miramax partnered with Paramount Vantage on two highly acclaimed productions: "No Country for Old Men," for which it handled U.S. distribution, and "There Will Be Blood," which it's handling overseas. Miramax also acquired "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" at Cannes, where its director, Julian Schnabel, took top helming honors, leading the way to DGA and Oscar noms.
The recent spate of awards for "No Country," which recently passed $50 million domestic, have given the film "a second, third and fourth win" at the box office, according to Battsek. "It's meant that we've been able to run campaigns that both support the nomination period, but also support the film on the screen."
For the accessible, no-nonsense Brit, measuring up to filmmakers' expectations with artistic and financial support, sound distribution strategy and marketing acumen allows Battsek to continue to nourish relationships with producers like Rudin. "With his track record, his taste and his relationships," Battsek says, "we're going to hopefully continue to have access to filmmakers that I personally admire and respect enormously."
Contact Steve Chagollan at
steve.chagollan@variety.com