Entered the film and television industry in 1971 by joining the production team making ITV's arts and entertainment magazine programme Aquarius as a researcher. One year later he went freelance as an independent writer, producer and director working for the BBC and ITV before setting up his first independent production company Pictures That Move.
To date he has produced and directed more than 100 documentary films for the cinema, television and DVD, in addition to executive producing a further 600 films, many of them international co-productions.
The majority of his output has been in the form of documentary singles and landmark series, made through his independent film and television production company Antelope; mostly in the areas of human interest stories, biography, history, science, politics, economics, religion, music and arts; with assorted performance and magazine programmes and a limited number of drama productions for the cinema.
His film productions have won numerous national and international awards (including both US National and International Emmy awards and a Peabody Award), and have appeared on all of the main UK terrestrial and digital television channels and in most countries of the world. In 1998 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Television Society "In recognition of an outstanding contribution to the furtherance of television".
Taster video featuring Meg Hamilton (violin) and Živorad Nikolić (accordion)
One-hour documentary about the highly influential African-American gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The film was originally commissioned by BBC4 for transmission in the UK during 2011, 2012 and 2015. A 52-minute version was edited for the PBS strand American Masters for transmission in the USA during 2013, 2014 and 2015. A Director's Cut version was created in 2014 - see below.
120-minute concert documentary to raise awareness of malaria in Africa. The film triggered a $20 billion commitment from the World Bank, World Health Organisation, United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation to combat malaria in Africa.
2005 / BBC4 / Arte France
30-minute profile of 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi.
2004 / BBC4
52-minute documentary about a geisha girl working within the Gion district of Kyoto.
2000 / BBC2 / Kyoto Broadcasting
90-minute opera movie featuring Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, staged and filmed within the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul.
1999 / BBC2
90-minute profile
1995 / ITV / PBS American Masters
6x1-hour global economics series written & presented by Anthony Sampson.
1990 / BBC2 / TV Asahi
52-minute documentary about a remarkable cure for heroin addiction in Thailand.
1988 / ITV
52-minute episode from the 8 x 1-hour series AFRICA: A Voyage of Discovery
1983 / MBTV / Channel 4
42-minute exploration of the senses featuring David Hockey, Michael Tippett, Joseph Beuys, RD Laing, etc.
A Pictures That Move Production - created by Mick Csáky & Adrian Munsey
1977 / Arts Council of England
The success of the majority of the films produced or executive produced by Mick Csaky relied on the choice of high quality directors including Jeremy Bennett, Leslie Woodhead, Christopher Ralling, John Percival, Jeremy Marre, Mick Gold and Andy Harries; and high quality cameramen including Ivan Strasberg, Michael Miles, Mike Shrimpton and Robert Alazraki.
The remarkable story of how the US State Department sent African-American musicians Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington to Africa, India and even behind the Iron Curtain to win over hearts and minds during the Cold War.
Producer Mick Csáky, Writer & Director Hugo Berkeley
Antelope/Normal Life Pictures/WNET production for PBS, BBC and ARTÉ
2018 / 90 minutes
104-minute feature film, shot in the Tibetan language, directed by Eric Valli. Academy Award nominated for Best Foreign Film, winner of 2 César awards.
Co-produced by Antelope with Galatée Films. 2000.
104-minute account of the massacre of Srebrenica directed by Leslie Woodhead for Antelope.
1999 / BBC2/13.WNET/NPS/NPR
104-minute account of the US hostage crisis in Iran of 1979-81, directed by Leslie Woodhead for Antelope.
1997 / BBC2
75-minute film directed by Jeremy Bennett for Antelope.
1995 / BBC / TV Asahi / The History Channel / TV Novosti / Télé Images
60-minute biography of Mao Zedong, directed by Jeremy Bennett for Antelope.
1993 / BBC2 / A&E / France 3
78-minute biography of Josephine Baker, directed by Christopher Ralling for Csáky Limited. International Emmy award winner.
1985 / Channel 4
8 x 1-hour series written & presented by Basil Davidson, and produced by John Percival.
1983 / MBTV / Channel 4
As Festival Director, he conceived and staged this two-day event at University College London during 8th & 9th November 2013. The festival combined panel discussions, lectures, films, a radio show and a comedy act - all highlighting the media's power to increase cultural understanding and contribute to global justice.
Alongside his film and television work, Mick Csáky has undertaken extensive multi-media and multi-screen audiovisual work for museums (Natural History and Science museums, etc), exhibitions (British Genius and UK Expo pavilions, etc) and art galleries (Hayward Gallery, Musée des Arts Décoratif in Paris, etc).
His photographs have appeared in numerous exhibitions, magazines and newspapers; along with books that have accompanied several of his television series.
Several books published, mainly to accompany television and film projects:
To see a more complete list of Mick's productions from 1971 to 2021 click here