Ivan De Battista

Born in Gżira, Malta to Martin and Irene De Battista, he is 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.

• Irwiefen (Hurricanes) – a book of poetry published in 1999
• Il-Fanal tas-Sinjur (The Master's Lighthouse) – adventure/mystery book published in 2007 and nominated for Best Book for Youngsters
• Id-Dar ta' Sqaq il-Forka (The House in the Gallows' Alley) – adventure/mystery sequel book published in 2009 and won second prize in the Malta Book Awards for Best Prose for Children
• Id tad-Deheb (Golden Hand) – nominated for Best Book for Teens
• Battuti għal Inżul ix-Xemx (Lyrical Beats for Sunset) – an anthology poetry book published in 2010 and nominated for Best Poetry Book
• Il-Qabar tal-Kavallier (The Knight's Tomb) – adventure/mystery book published in 2011 and nominated for Best Book for Youngsters
• Il-Milied tal-Anġli (Christmas of Angels) – adventure book published in 2011 and won second prize in the Malta Book Awards for Best Prose for Children
• L-Aħħar Tlettax (The Last Thirteen) – novel published in 2013
• Il-Misteru tal-Ġgantija (The Ġgantija Mystery) – novel published in 2014 and nominated for Best Book for Teens
• F'Xatt id-Destin (The Beach of Destiny) – novel published in 2017

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.

Ivan has directed more than 30 dramatic theatre pieces, in Maltese and in English.

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. He directed the first season and directed and produced the second season of the daily soap opera Tereża. Currently he is directing another ambitious project for a local TV station.

Ivan was a collaborator on the programme Mill-Gnejna Maltija almost two decades 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. He is also a prolific reader of novels in Maltese on the same radio station.

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". He wrote many songs, both lyrics and music, to local and foreign artists.

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.

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