Julia Leigh facts for kids

Julia Leigh, born in 1970, is a talented Australian writer and filmmaker. She writes novels and also directs and writes movies. Her first movie, Sleeping Beauty, was shown at the famous Cannes Film Festival in 2011. She has also written two popular novels, The Hunter (1999) and Disquiet (2008).

Early Life and Education

Julia Leigh was born in 1970 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is the oldest of three daughters. Her father was a doctor and medical researcher. Her mother taught high school mathematics.

Julia studied philosophy and law at the University of Sydney. She became a legal practitioner in New South Wales. For a while, she worked as a legal advisor. This job was at the Australian Society of Authors. Here, her interest in writing grew.

She had important mentors who helped her writing. These included authors Frank Moorhouse and Toni Morrison. Toni Morrison was part of a special arts program in 2002–2003. In 2009, Julia earned a PhD in English. This degree was from the University of Adelaide.

Writing and Directing Career

Julia Leigh is well-known for her novels. Her first novel, The Hunter, was published in 1999. Her second novel, Disquiet, came out in 2008. Both books received great reviews. Disquiet won the Encore Award in 2009. This award is for excellent second novels.

The Hunter was made into a movie in 2011. Famous actors like Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill starred in it. Julia Leigh also wrote and directed her first film, Sleeping Beauty. This movie, released in 2011, stars Emily Browning. It tells the story of a university student. The film was chosen for the main competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2016, Julia published a book called Avalanche. This book shares her personal experiences. It talks about her journey with in-vitro fertilisation. Reviewers praised the book for its honesty. In 2015, she received the Peter Blazey Fellowship. This helped her work on Avalanche. In 2016, she also got the Australia Council Fellowship in Literature. This was for a new novel she was writing.

Julia has spent time living and working in other countries. She lived in Paris, France, and New York, USA. In New York, she was a professor at Barnard College.

Filmography

• Sleeping Beauty (2011)

See also

In Spanish: Julia Leigh para niños