Martin Butler (director)


Martin Butler is an Australian film and television producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known the 2015 award-winning film Tanna, and usually collaborates with filmmaker Bentley Dean and editor Tania Nehme.

Early life and education

Martin Butler was born in England in 1952.
He studied politics and economics at Oxford University, and afterwards worked for the manager of The Who. He migrated to Australia in 1981.

Career

Butler has spent much of his career as a long-form current affairs television producer. He spent six years working on ABC Television's Four Corners, where he directed and produced several episodes, and served for 10 years as supervising or associate producer on Foreign Correspondent. Moving to SBS Television, he became supervising producer for Dateline.
First Footprints is a four-part television series directed by Butler and Bentley Dean and narrated by Ernie Dingo, which premiered on 14 July 2013 on ABC Television. The series won the Walkley Documentary Award in 2013.
In 2009, he co-directed Contact with Bentley Dean. The film tells the story of 20 Martu people who in 1964 became the last people in the Great Sandy Desert to have come into contact with Europeans. The film won many awards.
Other films, made in collaboration with Bentley Dean, include Tanna , and A Sense of Self .
For Tanna, he received a nomination for Best [Foreign Language Film] at 89th Academy Awards.

Personal life

His long term partner was the late journalist, television presenter and barrister Liz Jackson, with whom he had two children including Rose Jackson.

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipientResultRef
AACTA AwardsBest FilmMartin Butler, Bentley Dean and Carolyn JohnsonNomitated
AACTA AwardsBest DirectionMartin Butler and Bentley DeanNomitated
AACTA AwardsBest CinematographyBentley DeanNomitated
AACTA AwardsBest Original Music ScoreAntony PartosWon
AACTA AwardsBest SoundJames Ashton, Emma Bortignon and Martin ButlerNomitated
Academy AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmMartin Butler and Bentley DeanNomitated
African-American [Film Critics Association]Best Foreign FilmTannaWon