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Scott Hicks

Scott Hicks

Director, cinematographer and writer · Born March 4, 1953 (73) · Uganda

Robert Scott Hicks (born 4 March 1953) is a film director from Australia. He is best known as the screenwriter and director of Shine, the Oscar-winning biopic of pianist David Helfgott. Hicks's work has been nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning an Emmy Award.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 4, 1953 (73)
From
Uganda
Works as
Director, cinematographer and writer
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 21 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are Scott Hicks' films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 91st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
25%
Self
24%
Morality
14%
Ideas
14%
Survival
12%
Society
7%
Power
5%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 9 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
6
Tense
5
Hopeful
4
Contemplative
3
Romantic
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Scott Hicks' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Scott Hicks' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

21 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process(2023)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • My Name's Ben Folds: I Play Piano(2023)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Fallen(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Highly Strung(2015)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Lucky One(2012)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Boys Are Back(2009)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • No Reservations(2007)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Hearts in Atlantis(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Snow Falling on Cedars(1999)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Shine(1996)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Great Wall of Iron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Creator

  • Sebastian and the Sparrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Writer

  • Call Me Mr. Brown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Final Cut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    First Assistant Director

  • The Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    First Assistant Director

  • Dawn! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Third Assistant Director

  • Money Movers(1978)

    Third Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Down the Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • Committee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 21 titles, 20 of them dated from 1975 to 2023.

Biggest box office

The Lucky One (2012)

$99M worldwide

Highest rated

Shine (1996)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Lucky One (2012)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 21: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting16 of 21: 10 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score67thWriting5 of 21: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleOther crew5 of 21: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role

21 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and other crew overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1970s3 · crew1980s6 · crew1990s2 · crew2000s4 · crew2010s3 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Scott Hicks' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · director, writer

The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process (2023)

81st percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Shine (1996)

Midcredits 95th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Scott Hicks' work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles17–55 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 35 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Scott Hicks work with?

People who share at least 2 of Scott Hicks' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kerry Heysen shares the most, 8.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers