Ivan De Battista

Background

Born in Gżira, Malta to Martin and Irene De Battista, he is the oldest of three brothers. He married Simone De Battista in 2000 and they have two sons.

His studies in acting include ATCL Performing – Trinity College, London, Performer's Certificate in Acting – Trinity College London and an intensive Pinnacle Film Acting Course, Curtain Raiser Theatre Group and Bronk Productions Acting Course.

He was awarded a Masters in Marketing by the University of Wales in 2015. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He has a diploma in Management from the University of Leicester. He is a UK Drama Equity Member.

Writings

Performances

Ivan and Simone De Battista were selected, in June 2012, with nine other teams from Europe, to represent Malta at the Tourcoing, France-based 2012 Eurotopiques festival, La Virgule, in a production called 'Mentior Cum Amori.

Television

He acted on local television in Simpatici (2001), Il-Madonna taċ-Ċoqqa (2002), Mad-daqqa Niżfnu (2004), Id-Driegħ t 'Alla (2005), Santa Monika (2006), Pupi (2007), and Il-Kristu tal-Kerrejja (2008). He also worked in Carabinieri 1, which was televised on Mediaset Italy. After performing the title role in Il-Kristu tal-Kerrejja, he directed the cliff-hanging whodunit drama on NET Television, Is-Siġill tal-Qrar. He partially edited this teleseries and wrote the lyrics for the ending credits. He edited several television documentaries, including Katakombi.

He had a main role in the four seasons of the popular teleserial F'Salib it-Toroq. He is the director and co-founder of ImaginArts Entertainment Productions. He directed four short movies, L-Ittra (The Letter) (2002), for which he wrote the original theme score as well; Dilemma (2003), which won Certificate of Merit – MACC 2003 and 2004; Is-Siġġu ta-Roti (The Wheelchair) (2004); and Self Flattery (2005), which both won third place in Best Production at the National MACC Awards Film Festival.

He directed Season I of the teleseries It-Tfal and the popular whodunit thriller teleseries, Prima Facie, both for 26th Frame Productions. Also, he directed the much sought-for cultural programme Snajja' Maltin, Season I & II and the educational programme, Karriera. Currently he is producing and directing the second season of the daily soap opera Tereża.

Radio

Ivan was a collaborator on the programme Mill-Gnejna Maltija over a decade ago. He also performed in six radio plays. He started a programme called Verset il-Lejl in 2011 along with his wife on a local radio station which is still airing, but under a different name: Storja flok Siesta.

Songs

De Battista took part in the Malta Independence Song Festival 2008, singing "Tond jibqa' Tond", and placed third in the Festival in 2009 as both a composer and lyricist of a song sung by newcoming twins Lara and Marie-Elena – "Tar iz-Zmien". He took part in a trio group in IndiFest (2012) with the song "Mhux l-ewwel darba".

imagin-Arts Drama Group

De Battista co-founded with his wife Simone the imagin-Arts Drama Group. It started on 1 August 2010, and held its first courses from the following October with more than twenty students. Three years later the group had tripled its number of students. The drama group prepared students to analyse, build and delve into different characters, culminating in many end-of-term performances.

Awards

In May 2017, he won Best Teens/Children Programme Award organized by Malta Television Awards 2017 for the educational program Karriera. He was nominated as "Best Actor in a Leading Role - Drama" for his outstanding performance in Pupi, organised by the GO Television Awards 2007. He also was nominated for Best Original Soundtrack (Lyrics) for Is-Siġill tal-Qrar, which he directed, organised by the 2010 Vodafone Television Awards.

He won second prize in the Malta Literary Awards for Best Prose for Children for the books Id-Dar ta' Sqaq il-Forka and Il-Milied tal-Angli