Film4 Appoints Katherine Butler As Senior Commissioning Executive.

LONDON, Monday 7th September 2009: Katherine Butler, Head of Development at Film4 has been promoted to the position of Senior Commissioning Executive, replacing Peter Carlton who recently left the company to join Warp Films.

In her new role, Butler will be responsible for overseeing Film4’s low budget films and will work closely with new talent, continuing to back bold and distinctive films.

Butler has a wealth of development expertise both in the UK and overseas. She joined Film4 as Head of Development in January 2005 and has worked on a broad range of films including the award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Hallam Foe and How To Lose Friends And Alienate People. She was Associate Producer on Brick Lane and Executive Producer on Sam Taylor Wood’s short film Cannes contender Love You More.

Butler is currently involved in upcoming features Nowhere Boy (Sam Taylor Wood), Submarine (Richard Ayoade), Attack The Block (Joe Cornish) and Chatroom (Hideo Nakata), which she is also Executive Producing.

Prior to joining Film4, Butler was Head of Development and Executive Producer at the New Zealand Film Commission for four years where she developed and executive produced a broad slate of films including multi-award winning Whale Rider and Rain. Returning to the UK in 2002, Butler became Head of Development at Ruby Films where she worked on a variety of projects including Brick Lane.

Commenting on the appointment, Tessa Ross, Controller of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama, said: “Katherine has been an extraordinary Head of Development and I’m over the moon that she has proved herself so wholeheartedly committed to Film4 by taking on this great new role. I congratulate her on this promotion and am sure she will continue to be a wonderful asset to the filmmaking community and to Film4.”

Butler, added: “I am thrilled to be taking on the challenge of this exciting role within Film4, especially at such a dynamic time of change and opportunity for low budget film-making and distribution.”

About Film4

Film4, headed by Tessa Ross, is Channel 4 Television’s feature film division. The company develops and co-finances film productions and is known for working with the most innovative talent in the UK, whether new or established. Film4 is a founding partner of the Warp X digital studio.

Film4’s most recent release was Ken Loach’s Cannes competition film, Looking for Eric. Other 2009 releases include Danny Boyle’s, Slumdog Millionaire, winner of 8 Academy Awards; Steve McQueen’s Hunger, winner of the 2008 Cannes Camera D’Or; Martin McDonagh’s Oscar nominated, In Bruges; Mike Leigh’s Oscar nominated and Golden Globe Best Actress winner, Happy-Go-Lucky and Michael Winterbottom’s Genova.

Upcoming Film4 projects include Paul King’s Bunny and the Bull; Xiaolu Guo’s She, A Chinese, winner of the Golden Leopard at Locarno Film Festival; both of which have been invited to screen at the Toronto Film Festival, Alexis Dos Santos’ Unmade Beds; Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones; Chris Morris’ Four Lions; Sam Taylor Wood’s Nowhere Boy; Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go; Mike Leigh’s next project and Kevin Macdonald’s Eagle of the Ninth.

Press contact: Taylor Herring PR 0208 206 5151