[1] Battsek began his industry career at The Hoyts Film Corporation in Sydney where he quickly rose through the ranks to general manager in Victoria State overseeing distribution.

As EVP and Managing Director, he oversaw all aspects of UK distribution for 18–25 releases per annum from Walt Disney Studios and their partners including Pixar and Miramax Films.

Releases included festival-winning favorites Mustang and Rams along with the Kent Jones documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut, 2015 Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film nominee, Timbuktu by Abderrahmane Sissako and My Old Lady, with Maggie Smith and Kevin Kline.

[citation needed] Since joining Film4, Battsek has greenlit films including Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite, Fighting with My Family from writer / director Stephen Merchant, Bart Layton's American Animals, The Festival from the makers of The Inbetweeners, Lenny Abrahamson's The Little Stranger, and Rungano Nyoni's BAFTA-winning I Am Not a Witch, as well as acquiring the rights to Booker Prize winning author Graham Swift's novel Mothering Sunday for development with Number 9 Films.

Earlier this year, Battsek enjoyed a successful awards season as Executive Producer on Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, a film written and directed by Martin McDonagh, starring Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson.