John Hillcoat (born 14 August 1961) is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and music video director.
His early work includes the 1988 prison film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead, as well as music videos for bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. His breakthrough film, the 2005 outback Western The Proposition, was written by Nick Cave and received widespread critical acclaim. Hillcoat went on to direct The Road (2009), an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel of the same name, and Lawless (2012), a Prohibition-era crime drama. His films often explore themes of survival, violence, and morality, showcasing a raw, atmospheric aesthetic.
Early life Hillcoat was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on 14 August 1961, to feminist artist Pat Hillcoat and oncologist Dr. Brian Leslie Hillcoat, growing up in North America and Europe.John Hillcoat, National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 18 March 2024. He attended Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and was enrolled in its Special Art Program. As a child, his paintings were featured in the Art Gallery of Hamilton. He was active with the McMaster University Film Board, most notably producing an animated short titled The Finger.
Back in Australia by the late 1970s, aged 18, Hillcoat studied film at the Swinburne University of Technology, in Melbourne. He became immersed in the city's post-punk scene, through which he met his now wife, the photographer Polly Borland, and began a lifelong creative collaboration with Nick Cave, editing the music video for his band The Birthday Party's single "Nick the Stripper" (1981). Hillcoat also got a job filming concerts at the famed Melbourne post-punk venue the Crystal Ballroom.Bonner, Michael (7 September 2012). "John Hillcoat interview", Uncut. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
Career Hillcoat has often worked with Nick Cave, the band Depeche Mode, and actor Guy Pearce. The Road, his adaptation of the novel by Cormac McCarthy, premiered at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, and was released in the U.S. in November 2009. His 2012 film, Lawless, competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Hillcoat's film, Triple 9 was released in 2016. In 2017, he directed "Crocodile", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror. In 2024, it was announced that Hillcoat would be directing a film adaptation of another McCarthy novel, Blood Meridian.
Filmography Film +YearTitleDirectorProducer 1988 Ghosts... of the Civil Dead 1996 To Have & to Hold 2005 The Proposition 2009 The Road 2012 Lawless 2016 Triple 9
Documentary film Year Title Notes 2001 Digital Hardcore Videos 2021 Bob Dylan: Odds and Ends Co-directed with Jennifer Lebeau
Short film Year Title Notes 2010 Red Dead Redemption: The Man from Blackwater Short machinima film to promote the video game Red Dead Redemption 2018 Corazón
Television Year Title Notes 2017 Black Mirror Episode "Crocodile" 2022 George & Tammy Miniseries 2023 Special Ops: Lioness 4 episodes
Music video Year Artist Title 1989 Elvis Costello "Veronica" 1991 Crowded House "Chocolate Cake" 1993 Herbert Grönemeyer "Chaos" "Land unter"1994Frente!"Bizarre Love Triangle" Siouxsie and the Banshees "O Baby" "Stargazer" 1996 Manic Street Preachers "Australia" 1997 Bush "Personal Holloway" Mansun "She Makes My Nose Bleed" 1998 Placebo "You Don't Care About Us" Embrace "All You Good Good People" Therapy? "Church of Noise" Neil Finn "Sinner" Therapy? "Lonely, Cryin', Only" 1999 Suede "Can't Get Enough" James "Just Like Fred Astaire" HIM "Join Me in Death" 2000 Chicane "No Ordinary Morning" Einstürzende Neubauten "Sabrina" 2001 HIM "In Joy and Sorrow" Depeche Mode "I Feel Loved" "Freelove" 2002 "Goodnight Lovers" Gemma Hayes "Hanging Around" Manic Street Preachers "There by the Grace of God" 2003 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds "Babe, I'm on Fire" AFI "Silver and Cold" Muse "Time Is Running Out" 2007 Maroon 5 "Makes Me Wonder" Grinderman "No Pussy Blues" 2010 "Heathen Child" Unkle "The Answer" 2012 Io Echo "Berlin, It's All A Mess" How to Destroy Angels "Ice Age" 2013 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds "Jubilee Street" Bob Dylan "Visions of Johanna" 2014 Johnny Cash "She Used to Love Me a Lot" 2016 Massive Attack "The Spoils" 2021 Run the Jewels "Never Look Back"
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result 1989 Australian Film Institute Best Original Screenplay Ghosts... of the Civil Dead 1992 ARIA Music Awards ARIA Award for Best VideoARIA Award previous winners. "Chocolate Cake" by Crowded House 1996 "Sit on My Hands" by Frente! (with Polly Borland) 1996 Verona Love Screens Film Festival Best Film To Have & to Hold 2005 Australian Film Institute Best Director The Proposition Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Director Inside Film Awards Best Feature Film Best Director 2009 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion The Road 2012 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'or Lawless 2013 ARIA Music Awards ARIA Award for Best Video "Jubilee Street" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
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