Aaron I. Butler

{{Short description|American film producer}}

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

Butler graduated from UC Berkeley{{cite web|url=https://cal.berkeley.edu/aaronibutler|title=Berkeley's alumni network, @cal|website=@cal}} and began his career working with two-time Academy Award-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 and the IDA Award for Best Limited Series and was nominated for three News and Documentary Emmys.{{cite web|url=http://cinemontage.org/2015/08/federico-fellinis-8-12/|title=Federico Fellini's '8 1/2' - CineMontage|date=1 August 2015|publisher=|access-date=7 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807032712/http://cinemontage.org/2015/08/federico-fellinis-8-12/|archive-date=7 August 2018|url-status=dead}}

Butler moved to Los Angeles where he edited the Sundance Channel documentary series Pleasure for Sale (2008), followed by the final season HBO's Taxicab Confessions (2010). He then edited and produced the HBO documentary American Winter (2013) and was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy{{cite web|url=http://emmyonline.com/news_35th_nominations|title=NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 35th ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS - The Emmy Awards - The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|website=emmyonline.com|access-date=2018-08-07|archive-date=2020-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126045516/https://emmyonline.com/news_35th_nominations|url-status=dead}} and an ACE Eddie Award {{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/film-editors-unveil-eddie-award-nominations-2-661760/|title=Film Editors Unveil ACE Eddie Award Nominations|first=The Deadline|last=Team|date=10 January 2014|publisher=}} for it.{{cite web|url=http://www.sidekickback.com/podcast/episode-14-the-importance-of-being-picky-with-aaron-i-butler/|title=Episode 14: The Importance of Being Picky with Aaron I. Butler - SideKickBack Radio|publisher=}}

J. Butler then edited on the Showtime documentary series Time of Death (2013) which won Best Limited Series at the IDA Awards and the Showtime 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 (2015) which was executive produced by Gus Van Sant and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.sundance.org/projects/i-am-michael#/|title=i-am-michael|website=www.sundance.org|access-date=2018-08-07|archive-date=2015-10-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001010656/http://www.sundance.org/projects/i-am-michael#/|url-status=dead}} I Am Michael was nominated for Best First Feature at the Berlinale International Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdCWSExmdjA|title=Editor Aaron Butler '94 on I Am Michael, Mentors, and Advice|first=|last=Cal At Sundance|date=26 May 2015|publisher=|via=YouTube}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aotg.com/index.php?page=cuttingroom_165 |title=Aaron Butler and the Editing of "I Am Michael" | Art of the Guillotine |publisher=Aotg.com |date= |accessdate=2018-08-10}} The next feature he edited was In Dubious Battle (2016) directed by James Franco. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival 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 nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival {{cite web|url=https://www.sundance.org/projects/cries-from-syria#/|title=cries-from-syria|website=www.sundance.org}} and aired on HBO.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sundance-hbo-nabs-tv-rights-doc-cries-syria-963166|title=Sundance: HBO Nabs TV Rights to Doc 'Cries From Syria'|publisher=}} Butler won the Peter Jennings Award {{cite web|url=https://opcofamerica.org/overseas-press-club-of-america-announces-annual-award-winners/|title=Overseas Press Club of America Announces Annual Award Winners - OPC|date=21 March 2018|publisher=}} from the Overseas Press Club, and was nominated for an ACE Eddie Award,{{cite web|url=http://cinemontage.org/2018/01/ace-announces-eddie-awards-nominees/|title=ACE Announces Eddie Awards Nominees - CineMontage|date=3 January 2018|publisher=|access-date=7 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807220640/http://cinemontage.org/2018/01/ace-announces-eddie-awards-nominees/|archive-date=7 August 2018|url-status=dead}} a PGA Award,{{Cite web |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/evgeny-afineevsky-aaron-i-butler-and-den-tolmor-at-29th-news-footage/908487544 |title=INTERVIEW - Evgeny Afineevsky, Aaron I. Butler and Den Tolmor at 29th Annual Producers Guild Awards presented by Cadillac |website=Getty Images |date=January 20, 2018 |access-date=2018-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911020925/https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/evgeny-afineevsky-aaron-i-butler-and-den-tolmor-at-29th-news-footage/908487544 |archive-date=2018-09-11 |url-status=dead }} and two News and Documentary Emmy Awards for his work on Cries From Syria.{{cite web|url=http://www.kewmedia.com/news/press_clippings/cries_from_syria_review.html|title=Kew Media Group: News: Press Clippings|website=www.kewmedia.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.oovramusic.com/community-blog/editing-difficult-material |title=How to Cope with Editing Difficult Material — Oovra Music - music licensing for visual media from award-winning composers |publisher=Oovramusic.com |date=2018-05-09 |accessdate=2018-08-10}}{{Cite web |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/101251-my-heart-continues-to-break-editor-aaron-i-butler-on-cries-from-syria/ |title='My Heart Continues to Break': Editor Aaron I. Butler on Cries from Syria |website=Filmmaker Magazine |date=January 26, 2017 |access-date=2018-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807033239/https://filmmakermagazine.com/101251-my-heart-continues-to-break-editor-aaron-i-butler-on-cries-from-syria/ |archive-date=2018-08-07 |url-status=dead }}

Butler's latest feature is JT Leroy (2018). The film was written and directed by Justin Kelly and stars Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, and Diane Kruger.

Butler is a member of the American Cinema Editors{{cite web|url=http://cinemontage.org/2018/06/union-made-from-mudbound-to-movie-town/|title=From Mudbound to Movie Town - CineMontage|date=12 June 2018|publisher=|access-date=7 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807063454/http://cinemontage.org/2018/06/union-made-from-mudbound-to-movie-town/|archive-date=7 August 2018|url-status=dead}} and is represented by the Gersh Agency.{{cite web |url=http://gersh.com/production/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BUTLER-A.-RES_2018.pdf |title=Info |date=2015 |website=gersh.com |format=PDF |access-date=2018-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807032728/http://gersh.com/production/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/BUTLER-A.-RES_2018.pdf |archive-date=2018-08-07 |url-status=dead }}