Thomas A. DiCillo (born August 14, 1954) is an American independent filmmaker, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He was born in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. His father was Italian and his mother was from New England. He studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and went on to study filmmaking at New York University’s Film School alongside Jim Jarmusch, Howard Brookner, Sara Driver and Spike Lee. Subsequently, he worked as an actor, then cinematographer, before making his own films.
For his first film, Johnny Suede (1991), with Brad Pitt, Catherine Keener, Calvin Levels, Alison Moir, Nick Cave, Tina Louise, and Samuel L. Jackson – received a nomination for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. He won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance for his second feature, Living in Oblivion (1995), with Steve Buscemi, Keener, Keener, Dermot Mulroney, Danielle von Zerneck, James LeGros, Kevin Corrigan, and Peter Dinklage.
Other films include Box of Moonlight (1996), with John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Keener, Lisa Blount, and Mulroney; The Real Blonde (1997), with Matthew Modine, Keener, Darryl Hannah, Maxwell Caulfield, Elizabeth Berkeley, Marlo Thomas, Bridgette Wilson, Buck Henry, Christopher Lloyd, and Kathleen Turner; Double Whammy (2001), with Denis Leary as a down on his luck detective, Elizabeth Hurley, Buscemi, Luis Guzmán, Donald Faison, Melonie Diaz, Victor Argo, and Chris Noth; and Delirious (2006), with Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Alison Lohman, Gina Gershon, Callie Thorne, Kevin Corrigan, Richard Short, David Wain, and Kristen Schaal.
DiCillo wrote and directed When You’re Strange (2009), a documentary about the rock band The Doors, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize. It was subsequently nominated for both an Emmy Award, after airing on PBS’ American Masters series, and a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video. He has also published books of his screenplays for Living in Oblivion and Box of Moonlight. Both books contain the full scripts along with commentary, stories and anecdotes
Each review will be linked to the title below.
(*seen originally in theaters)
(**seen rereleased in theaters)
- God Save the King (1977) – director, writer, editor, cinematographer
- Underground USA (1980) – directed by Eric Mitchell
- Permanent Vacation (1980) – directed by Jim Jarmusch – cinematographer
- Burroughs: the Movie (1983) – directed by Howard Brookner – cinematographer – documentary
- Variety (1983) – directed by Bette Gordon – co-cinematographer
- Stranger Than Paradise (1984) – directed by Jim Jarmusch – cinematographer, actor
- Coffee and Cigarettes (1986) – directed by Jim Jarmusch – cinematographer – short
- Robinson’s Garden (1987) – directed by Masashi Yamamoto – cinematographer – aka ロビンソンの庭 or Robinson no iwa – Japan
- The Beat (1987) – directed by Paul Mones – cinematographer
- Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars (1987) – directed by Howard Brookner – cinematographer- documentary
- Laura Ley (1989) – directed by Jenne Sipman – cinematographer
- End of the Night (1990) – directed by Kieth McNally
- Johnny Suede (1991) – director, writer
- Living in Oblivion (1995) – director, writer
- Box of Moonlight (1996) – director, writer
- The Real Blonde (1997) – director, writer
- Double Whammy (2001) – director, writer
- Delirious (2006) – director, writer
- When You’re Strange (2009) – director, writer – documentary
- Down in Shadowland (2014) – director, writer, editor, cinematographer – documentary
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