Garrett Batty
{{short description|Director and filmmaker}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Garrett Batty
| image = GarrettBatty.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| nationality = American
| alma_mater = Brigham Young University
| occupation = Director, Producer, Writer
| years_active = 2009-present
| notable_works = The Saratov Approach
}}
Garrett Batty is an American film director, writer, and producer known for his film The Saratov Approach. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a native of Park City, Utah. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (LDS Church) and his films are part of Mormon cinema, but with a more general audience. He has written, directed, and produced four full-length films, including Freetown (2015) and Out of Liberty (2019), and will begin work on a fifth in 2020. For Freetown, he was awarded the 2015 Ghana Movie Award for Best Screenplay alongside Melissa Leilani Larson.
Early life and education
As a young boy in Park City, Utah,{{Cite web|url=https://mormonartsstg.lib.byu.edu/people/garrett-batty/|title=Garrett Batty {{!}} Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database {{!}} HBLL|website=mormonartsstg.lib.byu.edu|access-date=March 20, 2020}} Batty began making short films.{{Cite web|url=https://mormonartist.net/podcast/episode-13-garrett-batty/|title=Episode 13: Garrett Batty – Mormon Artist|website=mormonartist.net|access-date=March 20, 2020}} He attended Park City High School and often attended the Sundance Film Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parkrecord.com/entertainment/park-city-high-school-grad-gets-serious-with-the-saratov-approach/|title=Park City High School grad gets serious with 'The Saratov Approach'|last=Iwasaki|first=Scott|website=www.parkrecord.com|language=en-US|access-date=March 24, 2020}} In both high school and college, Batty participated in acting, improv comedy, and filmmaking. After serving an LDS mission in New York City, he graduated from Brigham Young University in 2001 with a film degree.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lehifreepress.com/2019/10/07/filmmaker-shoots-out-of-liberty-in-lehi-barn/|title=Filmmaker shoots "Out of Liberty" in Lehi barn|last=Halladay|first=Gina|date=October 7, 2019|website=Lehi Free Press|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=March 24, 2020}} He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Professional career
During his early career in Hollywood, Batty edited TV pilot episodes, trailers, and DVDs. He often worked with LDS film companies such as Excel Entertainment and Halestorm Entertainment. He later moved to Utah, where he and his wife adopted three children. He was inspired by LDS films such as The Singles Ward, and after moving to Utah, filmed Mormon Messages for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began a production company, Three Coin Productions, in 1993.{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/10/1/20380022/scout-camp-to-appeal-to-varied-audience|title='Scout Camp' to appeal to varied audience|last=Farmer|first=Molly|date=October 1, 2008|website=Deseret News|language=en|access-date=March 20, 2020}} His short film "#Pound# 646" was shown at the 2008 LDS Film Festival{{Cite web|url=https://mormonartsstg.lib.byu.edu/works/pound-646/|title=#Pound# 646 {{!}} Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database {{!}} HBLL|website=mormonartsstg.lib.byu.edu|access-date=March 24, 2020}} and later compiled into the Best of LDS Film Festival 2008 DVD.{{Cite web|url=https://mormonartsstg.lib.byu.edu/works/best-of-lds-film-festival-2008/|title=Best of LDS Film Festival 2008 {{!}} Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database {{!}} HBLL|website=mormonartsstg.lib.byu.edu|access-date=March 24, 2020}} In 2009 he wrote, directed, and produced Scout Camp,{{Cite web|url=https://excelentertainment.com/movies/scout-camp/|title=Scout Camp {{!}} Excel Entertainment|language=en-US|access-date=March 20, 2020}} a movie about a group of boy scouts starring Shawn Carter and Kirby Heyborne. Batty drew from his own experiences as a boy scout, and the actors who played scoutmasters improvised many of their lines for comedic effect.{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/2009/1/25/20377940/scout-camp-jamboree|title='Scout Camp' jamboree|last=Wilson|first=Chanae|date=January 25, 2009|website=Deseret News|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=March 20, 2020}} According to Batty, the film produced enough money to "pay back all of [its] investors."
While continuing to work for the Church, he began working on The Saratov Approach, a film based on the true story of the 1998 kidnapping of LDS missionaries in Saratov, Russia. Batty first heard the story as a college student, and resolved to one day tell it through film. He obtained permission from the men who had been kidnapped, then began working on the script while recovering from heart surgery.{{Cite web|url=https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-13844/|title="The Saratov Approach" Breaks Records and Molds|last=England|first=Breck|date=|website=LDS Magazine|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=March 20, 2020}} It was released on October 9, 2013, and grossed $2.1 million;{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2887322/credits/?ref_=bo_tt_tab#tabs|title=The Saratov Approach|last=|first=|date=|website=Box Office Mojo|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=March 20, 2020}} it was Batty's first theatrical release. According to The Daily Universe, Saratov "shattered all previous LDS movie records."{{Cite web|url=https://universe.byu.edu/2014/04/02/the-saratov-approach-shatters-box-office-records-of-previous-mormon-films1/|title='The Saratov Approach' shatters box office records of previous Mormon films|last=Gengler|first=Hailey|date=April 2, 2014|website=The Daily Universe|language=en-US|access-date=March 24, 2020}} After Saratov
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! style="width:33px;" |Year !Film ! style="width:65px;" |Director ! width="65" |Producer ! width="65" |Writer !Starring |
| 2009
| style="text-align:left" |Scout Camp |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Shawn Carter, Kirby Heyborne |
| 2013
| style="text-align:left" |The Saratov Approach |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Corbin Allred, Maclain Nelson |
| 2015
| style="text-align:left" |Freetown |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Henry Adofo, Michael Attram |
| 2019
| style="text-align:left" |Out of Liberty |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Casey Elliott, Corbin Allred, Brandon Ray Olive, Jasen Wade |
| 2024
|Faith of Angels |Yes |Yes |Yes |John Michael Finley, Cameron Arnett, Kirby Heyborne, Michael Bradford |
Awards and nominations
- Winner of the 2014 Filmed in Utah Award for Best Screenplay (The Saratov Approach)
- Winner of the 2014 Filmed in Utah Award for Best Director (The Saratov Approach){{Cite web|url=https://universe.byu.edu/2014/03/31/third-annual-filmed-in-utah-awards-dominated-by-the-saratov-approach/|title=Third-annual Filmed in Utah Awards dominated by 'The Saratov Approach'|last=Alexander H. Rose|date=March 31, 2014|website=The Daily Universe|language=en-US|access-date=March 20, 2020}}
- Winner of the 2014 Filmed in Utah Award for Best Feature Film (The Saratov Approach){{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/who-needs-hollywood-local-films-honored-at-filmed-in-utah/article_c5d142f0-e184-55a9-8b59-d04771e56ffe.html|title=Who needs Hollywood? Local films honored at Filmed in Utah awards|last=Workman|first=Warren|website=Daily Herald|language=en|access-date=March 20, 2020}}
- Winner of the 2014 AML Award (film category) (The Saratov Approach)
- Winner of the 2015 Ghana Movie Award for Best Screenplay (Freetown, with Melissa Leilani Larson)
- Nominated for the 2015 Ghana Movie Award for Directing (Freetown)
- Nominated for the 2015 Ghana Movie Award for Best Picture (Freetown){{Cite web|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Full-list-of-winners-at-Ghana-Movie-Awards-2015-404293|title=Full list of winners at Ghana Movie Awards 2015|website=www.ghanaweb.com|language=en|access-date=March 20, 2020}}
- Finalist for the 2015 AML Award (film category) (Freetown){{Cite web|url=http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2016/02/2015-aml-awards-finalists-6-film/|title=2015 AML Awards Finalists #6: Film|last=|first=|date=February 11, 2016|website=associationmormonletters.org|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=March 20, 2020}}
- Nominated for the 2016 Black Reel Award for Best Foreign Film (Freetown){{Cite web|url=http://blackreelawards.com/black-reel-awards-16-winners-nominees/|title=Black Reel Awards '16 {{!}} Winners & Nominees|date=February 20, 2016|website=Black Reel Awards|language=en-US|access-date=March 20, 2020|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619130755/http://blackreelawards.com/black-reel-awards-16-winners-nominees/|url-status=dead}}
- Nominated for the 2016 Nigerian Entertainment Award for Best Picture (Non-Nigerian) (Freetown){{Cite web|url=https://www.bellanaija.com/2016/06/nominations-are-here-find-out-who-made-the-2016-nigerian-entertainment-awards-nominees-list/|title=Nominations are Here! Find out who Made the 2016 Nigerian Entertainment Awards Nominees List|last=BellaNaija.com|date=June 16, 2016|website=BellaNaija|language=en-US|access-date=March 24, 2020}}
- Finalist for the 2019 AML Award (narrative-feature-film category) (Out of Liberty)"[http://associationmormonletters.org/blog/2020/05/2019-aml-award-winners/ 2019 AML Award Winners]" by Andrew Hall. Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. 2 May 2020. Accessed 2 May 2020.
References
External links
- [http://threecoinproductions.com/ Three Coin Productions website]
- {{IMDb name|1271233}}
- [https://latterdayprofiles.org/garrett-batty/ Latter-day Profiles interview]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batty, Garrett}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:People from Park City, Utah
Category:Brigham Young University alumni
Category:Latter Day Saints from Utah
Category:Film producers from Utah
Category:Film directors from Utah