Jill Elizabeth Bilcock (born 1948 as Jill Stevenson), is an Australian film editor. She was nominated for BAFTA Awards for Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Moulin Rouge! (2002), and Elizabeth (1998). In 2007 she won the Australian Film Institute International Award for Excellence in Filmmaking.

Early life and education Jill Elizabeth Stevenson, later Bilcock, was born in 1948 in Horsham, Victoria, Australia. Her family, which included Jill and two brothers, moved to Melbourne when she was three, and her father left the family when she was four. Her mother worked full-time as a teacher at a technical school, and went to the University of Melbourne at night to complete a degree in commerce. Artists, poets, and authors visited their home regularly. She later said that she "didn't have a lot of parenting".

She is a graduate of the Swinburne Film and Television SchoolMcGrath, Declan (2001). Editing and Post-production (Focal Press), p. 45. Swinburne is apparently misspelled as "Swinbourne" in this reference. (1968), entering its first film course at the age of 17, after leaving school and enrolling at Swinburne Technical College at the age of 15, encouraged by her mother. She went on a student trip to China, which at the time was in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, and generally closed to foreigners; she became an honorary Red Guard there. When Brian Robinson started the first film course at Swinburne, she jumped at it. There she met Fred Schepisi, who was one of the examiners.

Career Bilcock began her career doing commercials (there being no Australian film industry then), after being invited by Fred Schepisi to work at his company, The Film House. Schepisi "let [them] run wild", and allowed the students to experiment with all aspects of filmmaking. She started specialising in editing, assisted by Richard Lowenstein, who had also graduated from Swinburne.

In the mid-1970s, she was invited to a job in London, but, travelling via India, ended up staying in that country for a year, living a hippie-style existence in Goa and taking bit parts in local films.

Her first feature film was Richard Lowenstein's Strikebound (1984). During the 1980s and 1990s, she started working with filmmakers on well-known films such as Dogs in Space (directed by Lowenstein, 1987), Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrmann, 1992), Muriel's Wedding (P.J. Hogan, 1994), and Head On (Ana Kokkinos, 1998).

Bilcock later edited films such as Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Sam Mendes' 2002 crime drama Road to Perdition.

Her editing style has been described as "boldly inventive", and her editing of the Luhrmann films known for their "strikingly fast cutting, whirl of noise and colour and unconventional jumps". She has said: "I want wild, I want innovative, unusual and visually extraordinary". However, she changed pace on films such as Road to Perdition and The Dish.

Other activities On 3 July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia Bilcock gave an online masterclass as part of "WIFT Virtual" series, an initiative of WIFT Australia.

In November 2024 she was on the jury of the International Film Festival of India, alongside Singaporean director Anthony Chen, British producer Elizabeth Karlsen, Spanish producer Fran Borgia, and Indian producer and actor Ashutosh Gowariker, who acted as chair.

Recognition, awards, and honours Bilcock is a member of the Australian Screen Editors guild, as well as the American Cinema Editors society, which permits her to use the post-nominals ASE and ACE.

The documentaries Jill Billcock: The Art Of Film Editing for ABC TVJill Billcock: The Art Of Film Editing, ABC TV and the cinema-released Jill Bilcock: Dancing the InvisibleJill Bilcock: Dancing the Invisible, Screen Australia (78 mins), both in 2017, explore her life and work. Dancing the Invisible includes commentary from Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann, Shekhar Kapur, Phil Noyce, Fred Schepisi, Richard Lowenstein, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Kriv Stenders, Ana Kokkinos, Sue Brooks, and Rachel Griffiths. The film was directed, written, co-produced, and edited by Axel Grigor, and executive produced by Sue Maslin. The film won the Audience Award at the Adelaide Film Festival.

Bilcock is highly respected in the industry, and has received several lifetime achievement awards, including the AFI Byron Kennedy Award, AFI International Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, and IF Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. In July 2018 Flicks film critic Glenn Dunks called Bilcock "one of Australia's greatest film practitioners. Probably the most successful film editor this country has ever produced". At that time, she had won five AFI Awards and been nominated for four more; been nominated for two AACTA Awards and four BAFTAs; and had received multiple career achievement awards.

She has been awarded two official Australian honours: 2001: Centenary Medal, "For service to Australian society and film production" 2018: Companion of the Order of Australia (the highest award), "For eminent service to the Australian motion picture industry as a film editor, to the promotion and development of the profession, as a role model, and through creative contributions to the nation's cultural identity", in the Queen's Birthday 2018 Honours List

Film awards and nominations include: 1992: Winner, Best Achievement in Editing in the 1992 Australian Film Institute Awards, for Strictly Ballroom 1992: Nominated, BAFTA Award for Best Editing in the 45th British Academy Film Awards, for Strictly Ballroom 1995: Byron Kennedy Award 1996: Winner, Best Editing, MovieMaker Readers Awards 1996: Nominated, BAFTA Award for Best Editing in the 50th British Academy Film Awards, for Romeo + Juliet 1998: Nominated, BAFTA Award for Best Editing in the 52nd British Academy Film Awards, for Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur 2001: AFI (American Film Institute Awards) Editor of the Year 2002: Winner Eddie Award from the American Cinema Editors (best edited comedy or musical feature film) for Moulin Rouge! 2001: Nominated, Academy Award for Best Film Editing (Oscar), for Moulin Rouge! 2002: Nominated, BAFTA Award for Best Editing in the 55th British Academy Film Awards, for Moulin Rouge! 2007: Winner, Australian Film Institute International Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, at the 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards 2012: Moulin Rouge! listed as the 32nd best-edited film of all time in a 2012 survey of members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild 2013: Jill Robb Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Victorian Screen Industry, one of two Victorian Screen Leader Awards established by Film Victoria the preceding year 2015: Nominated, AACTA Award for Best Editing, for The Dressmaker

Filmography

Year Film Director Notes1984StrikeboundRichard LowensteinNominated—AACTA Award for Best Editing1986The More Things Change...Robyn NevinDogs in SpaceRichard Lowenstein1987Australian Made: The Movie1988Evil AngelsFred SchepisiNominated—AACTA Award for Best Editing1990Till There Was YouJohn Seale1992Strictly BallroomBaz LuhrmannAACTA Award for Best EditingNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Editing1993Say a Little PrayerRichard LowensteinTemptation of a MonkClara Law1994ErotiqueSegment: "Wonton Soup"Lizzie BordenSegment: "Let's Talk About Love"Ana Maria MagalhãesSegment: "Final Call"Monika TreutSegment: "Taboo Parlor"Muriel's WeddingP. J. HoganNominated—AACTA Award for Best EditingI.Q.Fred Schepisi1995How to Make an American QuiltJocelyn Moorhouse1996Romeo + JulietBaz LuhrmannNominated—AACTA Award for Best EditingNominated—BAFTA Award for Best EditingNominated—Satellite Award for Best Editing1998Head OnAna KokkinosAACTA Award for Best EditingElizabethShekhar KapurNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Editing1999Harry's WarRichard Frankland2000The DishRob Sitch2001Moulin Rouge!Baz LuhrmannAACTA Award for Best EditingACE Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or MusicalNominated—Academy Award for Best Film EditingNominated—BAFTA Award for Best EditingNominated—Satellite Award for Best Editing2002Road to PerditionSam Mendes2003Japanese StorySue BrooksAACTA Award for Best EditingNominated—FCCA Award for Best EditorNominated—Inside Film Award for Best Editing2004The LibertineLaurence DunmoreNominated—ASE Award for Best Editing in a Feature Film2006Catch a FirePhillip Noyce2007Elizabeth: The Golden AgeShekhar Kapur2009The Young VictoriaJean-Marc ValléeBlessedAna KokkinosNominated—AACTA Award for Best Editing2010Don't Be Afraid of the DarkTroy Nixey2011Red DogKriv StendersNominated—AACTA Award for Best EditingNominated—Inside Film Award for Best Editing2012MentalP. J. HoganNominated—ASE Award for Best Editing in a Feature Film2014Arrows of the Thunder DragonGreg SneddonKill Me Three TimesKriv StendersMy MistressStephen LanceDriving Miss DaisyDavid EsbjornsonTheatrical release of Australian stage production2015The DressmakerJocelyn MoorhouseNominated—AACTA Award for Best EditingNominated—FCCA Award for Best Editor2016Red Dog: True BlueKriv Stenders2019Ride Like a GirlRachel Griffiths2020High GroundStephen Maxwell JohnsonNominated—AACTA Award for Best Editing

See also List of film director and editor collaborations

References

Further reading Reporting based on an interview with Bilcock.

External links