Oscars: Editor John Gilbert Wins First Oscar for ‘Hacksaw Ridge’

Editor John Gilbert won his first Academy Award on Sunday for Hacksaw Ridge.

He had been nominated once previously, for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

“Working with Mel, I didn’t really know what to expect. The public persona of someone is almost never true. He’s a very warm guy,” Gilbert said backstage of Hacksaw Ridge director Mel Gibson. “I felt pressure to make sure it was good. He’s a practical joker. I loved working with him.”

He also reported,  “We had various servicemen come by and they said it was like being in battle. They gave us some feedback and said what we were doing was very real, and immersive. We took that as positive feedback.”

Hacksaw Ridge topped an editing field that included Arrival‘s Joe Walker, La La Land’s Tom Cross, Moonlight’s Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders and Hell or High Water’s Jake Roberts.

Gilbert is currently editing The Professor and the Madman.