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Life and Career

Jocelyn Moorhouse attended Vermont High School to complete her high school certificate and graduated in 1978. She then enrolled in the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School (AFRTS). It is while studying here where she completed her first short film entitled Pavane in 1983. Moorhouse then graduated from AFRTS in 1984 and then stared work as television script editor. Some of the television shows she worked on included The Flying Doctors, Out of the Blue, A Place to Call Home, and The Humpty Dumpty Man. Moorhouse made her feature film debut in 1991 with Proof. The idea for the film came from Moorhouse’s interest in blindness and photography. She initially intended on this being a short film but since she wasn’t able to secure the funding for a short she decided to make it into a feature film instead. It took Proof five years to go into production, but when it did it had a budget of 1.1 million dollars. The film ended up taking six weeks to shoot in Melbourne during the winter of 1990.

The success of Proof allowed Moorhouse to get bigger and better opportunities. She followed up that film with her first "Hollywood blockbuster" with How to Make an American Quilt(1995). The film had a talented cast which featured Anne Bancroft, Winona Ryder, Kate Nelligan, Dermot Mulroney, and Alfre Woodard. The film was met with mixed reviews.

Her next feature film was A Thousand Acres(1997). It was an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Jane Smiley. The film is about the relationship between a father and three daughters when tragedy is introduced into their lives. The film starred Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Jason Robards. This film, just like How to Make an American Quilt, was met with mixed reviews.

Moorhouse is married to director P.J. Hogan. She was the screenwriter for one of his films entitled Unconditional Love(2001) This was her second project with her husband as they both collaborated on Muriel's Wedding.

Awards

Moorhouse's first feature film Proofearned instant critical aclain in Australia winning six Australian Film Institute Awards including best screenplay and best director. Proof also won multiple prizes at various international film festivals. These the Silver Hugo award in Chicago, Cannes, the 2nd place audience award at Mill Valley, the Bronze Award in Tokyo, and the Critics Award in Sao Paulo. Proof also enabled Moorhouse to win the Sutherland Trophy at the British Film Institute Awards. Moorhouse also won an Australian Film Institute Award for best film for Muriel's Wedding.