Jay Rabinowitz is an American film editor and commercial editor. He is certified by the American Cinema Editors.

Rabinowitz studied at New York University, where he graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the undergraduate Cinema Studies program. During the program he learned of a film in pre-production that needed an intern, which turned out to be Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law (1986). He is credited as the assistant editor for several films in the next years, including Jarmusch's Mystery Train (1989-edited by Melody London).

Starting with Night on Earth (1991), Rabinowitz has been the editor for seven of Jarmusch's films: Dead Man (1995), Year of the Horse (1997), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), Broken Flowers (2005), and The Limits of Control (2009). Rabinowitz was nominated for an "Eddie" award of the American Cinema Editors for Year of the Horse (Best Edited Documentary Film category).

His other credits as film editor include Mark Webber's directorial debut Explicit Ills; Todd Haynes' I'm Not There; Frank Oz' The Stepford Wives; Adam Bhala Lough's Bomb the System (for which he was honored with the Best Editing award at the Milan Film Festival) and Weapons; and Curtis Hanson's Academy Award-winning 8 Mile.

Rabinowitz' editing for Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (2000) won best editing awards from the Phoenix Film Critics Society and from the Online Film Critics Society. The film was listed as the 29th best-edited film of all time in a 2012 survey of members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. He was nominated for the Online Film Critics' award for Aronofsky's The Fountain (2006).

He also functioned as music editor on Explicit Ills; Bomb the System; Weapons; Big Bad Love; Requiem for a Dream; When Pigs Fly; and Jarmusch's Broken Flowers, Coffee and Cigarettes, and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

For Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, he edited numerous episodes of the television series Oz and Homicide: Life on the Street. Rabinowitz worked with legendary photographer Robert Frank on the latter's film Last Supper.

In the year 2000 Rabinowitz was awarded at the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing for his work on Requiem for a Dream and in 2011 for his work on The Tree of Life.OFCS Awards 2011 at ofcs.org, retrieved December 12, 2012

In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild included two films edited by Rabinowitz in its listing of the best-edited films of all time. Requiem for a Dream (2000) was 29th, and The Tree of Life (2011) was 65th.

In 2019, he received the Sophia Lifetime Achievement Award from the Portuguese Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (Academia Portuguesa das Artes e Ciências Cinematográficas).

Filmography

+ Editor Year Film Director Notes Other notes1991 Night on EarthJim JarmuschThird collaboration with Jim Jarmusch 1993 Clean, ShavenLodge KerriganFirst collaboration with Lodge Kerrigan When Pigs FlySara Driver1994 Jimmy HollywoodBarry Levinson1995 Dead ManJim JarmuschFourth collaboration with Jim Jarmusch1996 Mother NightKeith Gordon1997 AfflictionPaul Schrader1999 Ghost Dog: The Way of the SamuraiJim JarmuschFifth collaboration with Jim Jarmusch2000 Requiem for a DreamDarren AronofskyFirst collaboration with Darren Aronofsky2001 Big Bad LoveArliss Howard 2002 Ten Minutes OlderJim JarmuschSixth collaboration with Jim Jarmusch"Int. Trailer Night" segment 8 MileCurtis Hanson Bomb the SystemAdam Bhala LoughFirst collaboration with Adam Bhala Lough2003 Coffee and CigarettesJim JarmuschSeventh collaboration with Jim Jarmusch2004 The Stepford WivesFrank Oz2005 Broken FlowersJim JarmuschEighth collaboration with Jim Jarmusch2006 The FountainDarren AronofskySecond collaboration with Darren Aronofsky 2007 WeaponsAdam Bhala LoughSecond collaboration with Adam Bhala Lough I'm Not ThereTodd Haynes2008 Explicit IllsMark Webber 2009 The Limits of ControlJim JarmuschNinth collaboration with Jim Jarmusch Women Without Men 2011 The Adjustment BureauGeorge Nolfi The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick RampartOren MovermanFirst collaboration with Oren Moverman2014 RosewaterJon StewartFirst collaboration with Jon Stewart2016 Junction 48Udi Aloni2018 Boy ErasedJoel Edgerton2020 IrresistibleJon StewartSecond collaboration with Jon Stewart2021 The United States vs. Billie HolidayLee Daniels2022 BeastBaltasar Kormákur2025 O'DessaGeremy Jasper2026 Is God IsAleshea Harris

+ Editorial department Year Film Director Role Notes Other notes1986 Down by LawJim JarmuschApprentice film editorFirst collaboration with Jim Jarmusch 1988 HomeboyMichael Seresin Assistant editor Rocket GibraltarDaniel Petrie1989 Mystery TrainJim JarmuschAssistant film editorSecond collaboration with Jim Jarmusch1999 Three SeasonsTony Bui Additional editor2002 SecretarySteven Shainberg 2010 SaltPhillip NoyceUncredited Last NightMassy Tadjedin2011 Extremely Loud & Incredibly CloseStephen Daldry2012 On the RoadWalter SallesAdditional editor: NYC2016 NormanJoseph CedarAdditional editorUncredited2024 IFJohn KrasinskiAdditional editing by

+ Music department Year Film Director Role1999 Ghost Dog: The Way of the SamuraiJim Jarmusch Music editor2000 Requiem for a DreamDarren Aronofsky2002 Bomb the SystemAdam Bhala Lough2003 Coffee and Cigarettes Jim JarmuschMusic editor: Feature version2005 Broken Flowers Music editor2009 The Limits of Control

+ Sound department Year Film Director Role 1987 Dead of WinterArthur Penn Apprentice sound editor The Glass MenageriePaul Newman1990 AliceWoody AllenAssistant sound editor

+ Thanks Year Film Director Role Notes1999 Outside ProvidenceMichael CorrenteSpecial editing thanks to2004 KeaneLodge Kerrigan Special thanksSecond collaboration with Lodge Kerrigan2008 Wendy and LucyKelly Reichardt2012 Cove RoadJonathan KeoghVery special thanks2017 The DinnerOren Moverman Special thanksSecond collaboration with Oren Moverman2018 DianeKent Jones

Documentaries

+ Editor Year Film Director1997 Year of the HorseJim Jarmusch2017 The New RadicalAdam Bhala Lough2020 Why Is We Americans?

+ Editorial department Year Film Director Role2007 Chicago 10: Speak Your PeaceBrett MorgenEditorial consultant2014 Evaporating Borders Iva Radivojevic Consulting editor2021 Aleph

+ Thanks Year Film Director Role2015 Hot Sugar's Cold WorldAdam Bhala LoughSpecial thanks

Shorts

+ Editor Year Film Director1989 Coyote MountainJeffrey W. Mueller1994 The BowerySara Driver1998 Richard Lester!Stacy Cochran2012 First PointTaylor Steele2016 Application for the Position of Abdelhalim Hafez's GirlDonna Lamar 2019 The Sound of a Wild Snail EatingElisabeth Tova Bailey White EchoChloë Sevigny

+ Editorial department Year Film Director Role2015 Notes from the BorderIva RadivojevicConsulting editor

+ Thanks Year Film Director Role2012 Bored GamesJonathan FischerAdditional acknowledgments

TV movies

+ Editor Year Film Director1992 Last SupperRobert Frank2000 Homicide: The MovieJean de Segonzac2005 Dawn AnnaArliss Howard2021 OsloBartlett Sher

TV series

+ Editor Year Title Notes1993−98 Homicide: Life on the Street26 episodes2002 Oz3 episodes2016 Codes of Conduct1 episode

References

Further reading A short biography and links to six video clips with Rabinowitz: Tim Dirks includes the concluding scenes from Requiem for a Dream in his list "Best Film Editing Sequences". See An appreciation of the editing in Requiem for a Dream: Another appreciation of the editing in 'Requiem':

External links