Battiste Fenwick
Director
Other Roles: Producer, Independent Filmmaker
Areas of Focus: Documentaries
Organization: Many Trails Productions
Biography
Battiste Fenwick is a documentary filmmaker, producer, and cinematographer with over 15 years of experience capturing non-fiction stories across independent cinema, international breaking news, and commercial formats. Holding an M.F.A. in Film Production & Directing from UCLA and a Master’s Degree in Film Studies from the Université Paris-Sorbonne, his career is defined by an ability to navigate complex, unpredictable production environments—ranging from high-pressure newsrooms to multi-year, deeply immersive field shoots.
Battiste’s extensive cinematography and production credits include collaborations with prominent directors and major filmmakers. He served as a field producer and cinematographer on the feature documentary Bring Your Own Brigade, directed by two-time Oscar-nominated director Lucy Walker (Sundance, Paramount+). He was also the cinematographer for Oscar-nominated director Daniel Raim on the acclaimed feature Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (Cannes Film Festival, Netflix). Most recently, Battiste served as the cinematographer for investigative journalist Greg Palast on Long Knife, a feature documentary centered on the Osage Nation, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Known for deep-dive investigative journalism, Battiste excels at tracking down elusive subjects and building rapport in high-stakes environments. For the ARTE feature documentary Notre Ami L’Atome (Our Friend the Atom), he successfully located and interviewed the sick US sailors affected by the Fukushima radioactive plume. Similarly, for the Hot Docs Best Canadian Feature winner Saigon Story: Two Killings in the Forest Kingdom, he tracked down the last living witness to Eddie Adams’ iconic Saigon Execution photo—who had been in hiding for 50 years, ultimately securing his first on-camera interview. His music documentary work includes weeks on the road embedded with the political hip-hop/rock supergroup Prophets of Rage—featuring Tom Morello, Chuck D, and B-Real—filming their energetic concerts and political actions across America.
Additionally, Battiste shot high-profile interview series and short portrait documentaries for premium brands like A24 (including The Brutalist conversation with Adrien Brody) and the Criterion Collection (featuring portraits of filmmakers like Andrew Stanton at Pixar Studios). A dual US/French citizen fluent in English, French, and Spanish, he brings deep narrative experience, investigative rigor, and technical precision to challenging productions.
