# John Hillcoat

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, and grew up in North America and Europe. 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.

## 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

* Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988)
* To Have & to Hold (1996)
* The Proposition (2005)
* The Road (2009)
* Lawless (2012)
* Triple 9 (2016) (Also producer)
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 |
| 2011 | 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" |
| 1993 | Herbert Grönemeyer | "Land unter" |
| 1994 | Frente! | "Bizarre Love Triangle" |
| 1994 | Siouxsie and the Banshees | "O Baby" |
| 1994 | Siouxsie and the Banshees | "Stargazer" |
| 1996 | Manic Street Preachers | "Australia" |
| 1997 | Bush | "Personal Holloway" |
| 1997 | Mansun | "She Makes My Nose Bleed" |
| 1998 | Placebo | "You Don't Care About Us" |
| 1998 | Therapy? | "Church of Noise" |
| 1998 | Neil Finn | "Sinner" |
| 1998 | Therapy? | "Lonely, Cryin', Only" |
| 1999 | Suede | "Can't Get Enough" |
| 1999 | James | "Just Like Fred Astaire" |
| 1999 | HIM | "Join Me in Death" |
| 2000 | Chicane | "No Ordinary Morning" |
| 2000 | Einstürzende Neubauten | "Sabrina" |
| 2001 | HIM | "In Joy and Sorrow" |
| 2001 | Depeche Mode | "I Feel Loved" |
| 2001 | Depeche Mode | "Freelove" |
| 2002 | Depeche Mode | "Goodnight Lovers" |
| 2002 | Gemma Hayes | "Hanging Around" |
| 2002 | Manic Street Preachers | "There by the Grace of God" |
| 2003 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | "Babe, I'm on Fire" |
| 2003 | AFI | "Silver and Cold" |
| 2003 | Muse | "Time Is Running Out" |
| 2007 | Maroon 5 | "Makes Me Wonder" |
| 2007 | Grinderman | "No Pussy Blues" |
| 2010 | Grinderman | "Heathen Child" |
| 2010 | Unkle | "The Answer" |
| 2012 | Io Echo | "Berlin, It's All A Mess" |
| 2012 | How to Destroy Angels | "Ice Age" |
| 2013 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | "Jubilee Street" |
| 2013 | 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 | Nominated |
| 1992 | ARIA Music Awards | ARIA Award for Best Video | "Chocolate Cake" by Crowded House | Won |
| 1996 | ARIA Music Awards | ARIA Award for Best Video | "Sit on My Hands" by Frente! (with Polly Borland) | Nominated |
| 1996 | Verona Love Screens Film Festival | Best Film | To Have & to Hold | Nominated |
| 2005 | Australian Film Institute | Best Director | The Proposition | Nominated |
| 2005 | Film Critics Circle of Australia | Best Director | The Proposition | Nominated |
| 2005 | Inside Film Awards | Best Feature Film | The Proposition | Won |
| 2005 | Inside Film Awards | Best Director | The Proposition | Nominated |
| 2009 | Venice Film Festival | Golden Lion | The Road | Nominated |
| 2012 | Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'or | Lawless | Nominated |
| 2013 | ARIA Music Awards | ARIA Award for Best Video | "Jubilee Street" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Nominated |