Walker, ACE, Joe

Acclaimed British film editor Joe Walker’s professional journey began not in the edit bay, but in concert halls and sound booths. Initially a classically trained composer, his passion for music has heavily influenced his editing style, where pacing, rhythm, sound and music all work in tandem. With a love of working with actors’ performances and a keen sense for story, Walker brings all these skills to bear to craft a rewarding emotional journey for the audience.

A four-time Oscar® nominee and Oscar® winner for Dune: Part One, Walker has forged notable partnerships with directors Denis Villeneuve and Steve McQueen. He’s been nominated five times for the ACE Eddie Award, winning for Arrival. A four-time BAFTA Award nominee, he is also known for his exemplary work on films such as Sicario, 12 Years a Slave and Blade Runner 2049. Dune: Part Two, his fifth collaboration with Villeneuve, is in theaters now.

Walker’s collaboration with Steve McQueen on four films began with McQueen’s debut feature Hunger in 2008, Shame in 2011 and Academy Award® best picture winner 12 Years a Slave in 2013 (which earned Walker his first Oscar®, ACE Eddie Award and BAFTA Award nominations). Widows followed in 2018.

In addition to Dune: Part One and Part Two, Walker’s collaboration with Denis Villenueve includes three back-to-back features, beginning with Sicario in 2015, Arrival in 2016 (which earned him his second Oscar® and BAFTA nominations and his first ACE Eddie Award win) and Blade Runner 2049 in 2017, for which he received BAFTA and ACE Eddie Award nominations.

In 2010, Walker cut the acclaimed documentary feature Life in a Day for Academy Award®-winning director Kevin Macdonald and producer Ridley Scott.  The ambitious project was filmed by YouTube users across the globe over a single day in July 2010.  Walker cut the film from over 4,500 hours of submitted footage to shape the documentary time capsule, which debuted at Sundance in 2011.

Walker learned his craft in the BBC’s Film Department at Ealing Studios. He had studied and composed music for many years, so it was a natural progression to break into the field as a sound editor, where he spent much of his early career until he segued into film editing. As a film editor, Walker began his career working on numerous British television series such as Jonathan Creek and The Lakes before moving into features like crime thriller Brighton Rock, Harry Brown starring Michael Caine and Rupert Wyatt’s The Escapist. 

He received his B.A. in music from the University of York, which awarded him an honorary Doctorate in 2019. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has played his music live in Trafalgar Square. He wrote the score for the BBC/HBO drama Dirty War. London-born and raised, Walker now makes his home in Los Angeles.