Justin Kurzel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Justin Kurzel
Kurzel at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
Born	Gawler, South Australia, Australia
Occupation	Film director
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Essie Davis ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2

Justin Dallas Kurzel (/kɜːrˈzɛl/; born c. 1974) is an Australian film director.

Early life

Kurzel was born circa 1974 in Gawler, South Australia to a family with immigrant roots, his father hailing from Poland and his mother from Malta. His younger brother, Jed Kurzel, is a blues rock musician who has scored most of Justin's films.

Career

In 1999 Kurzel was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship. His Victorian College of the Arts graduating short film Blue Tongue (2004) screened in over 13 international films festivals and won Best Short at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Kurzel's feature film debut was Snowtown (2011), for which he won the AACTA Award for Best Direction. Though controversial for its violence, the film was generally praised and holds an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes with the critic consensus: "It's a bleak and brutal endurance test, but for viewers with the strength and patience to make it to the end, Snowtown will prove an uncommonly powerful viewing experience."

His 2015 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2016, Kurzel directed Assassin's Creed (2016), based on the video game franchise of the same name.

Kurzel directed True History of the Kelly Gang in 2018, adapted from Peter Carey's 2001 Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, written from the viewpoint of legendary Australian bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly. The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in Australian cinemas in 2020.

Kurzel will direct multiple episodes of Apple TV's television adaptation of the 2003 novel Shantaram.

It was announced in late 2022 that Kurzel will direct a limited series adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Personal life

Kurzel is married to actress Essie Davis. They have twin daughters.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Notes
2004	Blue Tongue	Short film
2011	Snowtown	AACTA Award for Best Direction Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Direction Nominated—Inside Film Award for Best Director
2013	The Turning	Episode: "Boner McPharlin's Moll" Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Direction
2015	Macbeth	Nominated—British Independent Film Award for Best Director of a British Independent Film Nominated—Cannes Film Festival – Palme d'Or
2016	Assassin's Creed
2019	True History of the Kelly Gang
2021	Nitram	AACTA Award for Best Film AACTA Award for Best Direction Nominated—Cannes Film Festival – Palme d'Or
TBA	The Order	Post-production

Television

Music videos

See also

In Spanish: Justin Kurzel para niños