ANTHONY KATAGAS
​Director of Entertainment
Anthony Katagas is a renowned and prolific producer in American independent cinema, best known for his Academy Award-winning work on "12 Years a Slave." Over the past twelve years, he has produced nearly 35 films, collaborating with celebrated filmmakers like Steve McQueen, James Gray, Sofia Coppola, and Paul Haggis. His work has earned numerous accolades, including a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award. Katagas' films have also been nominated for the Palme d'Or, César Awards, and appeared on AFI's prestigious list. In 1999, he founded Keep Your Head Productions, focusing on independent films in New York City. Through this company, he produced works such as "Happy Here and Now" and "Cymbeline." Katagas continues to make significant contributions to the film industry, including producing upcoming projects like James Gray's "The Lost City of Z."
Overview
Anthony Katagas is one of the most prolific producers in American independent film, known for his Academy Award-winning work on "12 Years a Slave." Over the past twelve years, he has produced nearly 35 films and collaborated with numerous innovative, award-winning filmmakers such as James Gray, John Hillcoat, Steve McQueen, Andrew Dominik, Paul Haggis, Brad Pitt, John Singleton, Wes Craven, Vadim Perelman, Lasse Hallström, Ben Younger, Nanette Burstein, Denys Arcand, and Sofia Coppola. Katagas' achievements include an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a Broadcast Critics' Choice Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and the prestigious Darryl F. Zanuck PGA Award for Best Picture. His films have earned nominations for the Palme d'Or and César Awards and have received recognition from the DGA, SAG, National Board of Review, Gotham Awards, New York Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, and the AFI list for film achievement.
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In 1999, Katagas founded Keep Your Head Productions, focusing on independent films in his hometown of New York City. Through this company, he has produced films by visionary filmmaker Michael Almereyda, such as "Happy Here and Now" (2001), "This So-Called Disaster" (2002), "William Eggleston in the Real World" (2005), and "Cymbeline" (2014). He also produced James Gray’s "The Immigrant" (2013), which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Keep Your Head Productions is also working on the upcoming project "The Lost City of Z," another collaboration with James Gray.
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Katagas' credits include producing Ray McKinnon’s "Chrystal" (2004), Adam Rapp’s "Winter Passing" (2005), Ben Younger’s "Prime" (2005), Lasse Hallström’s "The Hoax" (2006), Vadim Perelman’s "The Life Before Her Eyes" (2007), and James Gray’s Palme d'Or-nominated films "We Own the Night" (2007) and "Two Lovers" (2008). Other films include Marc Lawrence’s "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" (2009), Wes Craven’s "My Soul to Take" (2010), Paul Haggis’ "The Next Three Days" (2010), and John Singleton’s "Abduction" (2011).
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Most recently, Katagas produced Andrew Dominik’s "Killing Them Softly" (2012), James Gray’s "The Immigrant" (2013), Steve McQueen’s "12 Years a Slave" (2013), Rupert Goold’s "True Story" (2014), and Ken Scott’s "Unfinished Business" (2014). In 2016, Katagas produced John Hillcoat’s "Triple 9" and "Nerve," and he is currently working on his fourth collaboration with James Gray on "The Lost City of Z."