Justin Kurzel


Justin Dallas Kurzel is an Australian film director and screenwriter.

Early life

Kurzel was born in Gawler, South Australia to a family of 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. Kurzel is married to actress Essie Davis.

Career

In 1999 he was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship. His film debut was the Australian short film Blue Tongue. His feature film debut was Snowtown, 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, 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 Toronto International Film Festival and will be released in Australian cinemas in 2020.
Kurzel will direct multiple episodes of Apple TV's television adaptation of the 2003 novel Shantaram.

Filmography