John Hillcoat

JOHN HILLCOAT

Date of Birth: 1961

Although born in Queensland, Australia, director John Hillcoat was raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He always had an eye for creativity and at a young age had the opportunity to feature his paintings at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Hillcoat went on to study in Australia where he graduated from Melbourne's Swinburne Film School.

At the age of 26, Hillcoat became the youngest filmmaker to be accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival for his short, The Finger (1987), when he was still a student. That same year, he continued to direct shorts such as The Blonde’s Date with Death. His first feature film followed in 1988 when he wrote and directed Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988), starring David Field, Mike Bishop, and Chris DeRose. Hillcoat’s film received nine nominations at the Australian Film Institute Awards and an award for Best Film at the Sans Sebastian Film Festival in 1988. The feature also competed at the Venice Film Festival.

Hillcoat’s next big hit was in 2005, when he released a Western-style feature set in the Australian outback. The film was entitled The Proposition (2005) and starred Ray Winstone, John Hurt and Emily Watson. It was nominated for eight Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Director. The film also went on to win Best Feature Film at the IF awards.

Hillcoat’s most recent works include The Road (2009), an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s prize winning novel, which starred Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron, and the Western drama Lawless (2012), starring Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, and Guy Pierce.

Filmography:

Triple Nine (2013)
Lawless (2012)
The Road (2009)
The Proposition (2005)
Alleys & Motorways (1997)
To Have & To Hold (1996)
Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988)