Justin Kurzel

1. Overview

Justin Kurzel at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival

Justin Dallas Kurzel (Justin Dallas Kurzel_kərˈzɛl^English; born 1974) is an acclaimed Australian film director and screenwriter known for his intense and often controversial cinematic works. His films frequently explore dark themes, human nature, and historical events, often with a raw and unflinching style that has garnered both critical praise and debate. Among his notable feature films are the stark crime drama Snowtown (2011), for which he received an AACTA Award for Best Direction; his atmospheric adaptation of Macbeth (2015), which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival; the historical drama True History of the Kelly Gang (2019); and the highly discussed Nitram (2021), a fictionalized depiction of the events leading up to the Port Arthur massacre, which also earned a Palme d'Or nomination at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and won him Best Director at the Sitges Film Festival. Kurzel's body of work reflects a commitment to probing challenging narratives, establishing him as a significant voice in contemporary Australian cinema.

2. Early Life and Education

Justin Kurzel's early life was shaped by his family's immigrant background and his academic pursuits in film.

2.1. Birth and Family

Justin Dallas Kurzel was born on August 3, 1974, in Gawler, South Australia. He grew up in a family with immigrant roots; his father emigrated from Poland, and his mother from Malta. His younger brother, Jed Kurzel, is a distinguished blues rock musician and composer who has notably scored all of Justin Kurzel's feature films, contributing significantly to their distinctive atmospheres.

2.2. Education

Kurzel pursued his formal education at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television, a key institution for his development as a filmmaker. His learning experience there provided the foundational skills and artistic insights that would later characterize his directorial style.

3. Career

Justin Kurzel's career as a film director has spanned a range of projects from award-winning short films to critically acclaimed and often controversial feature-length productions, along with forays into television and documentary filmmaking.

3.1. Early Career and Short Films

In 1999, Justin Kurzel was honored with a Mike Walsh Fellowship, an early recognition of his promising talent. His graduating short film from the Victorian College of the Arts, titled Blue Tongue (2004), gained significant international attention. It was screened at over 13 international film festivals and notably won the Best Short Film award at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Beyond directing, Kurzel also served as an editor on Blue Tongue. In 2013, he directed and wrote the segment Boner McPharlin's Moll as part of the Australian anthology film The Turning.

3.2. Feature Films

Kurzel's feature films are central to his reputation, showcasing his distinctive style and thematic interests.

3.2.1. Snowtown

Kurzel's feature film debut was Snowtown (2011), a stark and unsettling crime drama that depicted the infamous Snowtown murders in Australia. The film was highly controversial for its brutal violence and dark subject matter, yet it received widespread critical acclaim. It currently holds an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critical consensus describing it as "a bleak and brutal endurance test" that, for resilient viewers, proves "an uncommonly powerful viewing experience." For his work on Snowtown, Kurzel was awarded the AACTA Award for Best Direction, and also received the Best Direction award from the Film Critics Circle of Australia and the Best Director award from the Inside Film Awards in 2011. This film marked his first collaboration with writer Shaun Grant, a partnership that would continue in later projects.

3.2.2. Macbeth

In 2015, Kurzel directed an ambitious film adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy Macbeth. The film featured an acclaimed cast, including Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, and was lauded for its visually striking cinematography and intense performances. Macbeth was selected to compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, further cementing Kurzel's standing in international cinema. For this film, he was also nominated for Best Director of a British Independent Film at the 2015 British Independent Film Awards.

3.2.3. Assassin's Creed

Kurzel took on a high-profile project in 2016, directing Assassin's Creed, a film based on the popular video game franchise of the same name. The action-adventure film starred Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, marking another collaboration with his Macbeth leads.

3.2.4. True History of the Kelly Gang

In 2019, Kurzel directed True History of the Kelly Gang, an adaptation of Peter Carey's 2001 Man Booker Prize-winning novel. The film tells the story of the legendary Australian bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly from his perspective. Kurzel also served as a producer on the film. It premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival before its release in Australian cinemas in 2020.

3.2.5. Nitram

In late 2020, it was announced that Kurzel would direct Nitram, a controversial yet critically acclaimed film depicting the events leading up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, Australia. The film specifically focuses on the perpetrator's life leading up to the tragedy. Nitram was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, making it Kurzel's second film to achieve this distinction. For his direction of Nitram, he won the Best Director award at the 2021 Sitges Film Festival and received an AACTA Award for Best Direction. The film also won Best Film at the AACTA Awards in 2021.

3.2.6. The Order

Kurzel directed The Order, a film released in 2024. He also served as a producer on this project.

3.3. Other Directorial Works

Beyond feature films, Justin Kurzel has also contributed to television and documentary projects.

3.3.1. Television and Documentaries

Kurzel was initially attached to direct multiple episodes of the Apple TV+ series Shantaram, an adaptation of the 2003 novel. However, he departed the project in February 2020 during a production hiatus. In 2019, it was announced that Kurzel would adapt Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North for television, reuniting with frequent collaborator Shaun Grant on the project. The miniseries entered production in 2023, with prominent actors Jacob Elordi and Ciarán Hinds cast in leading roles. In the documentary field, Kurzel directed Ellis Park, a film about musician Warren Ellis and the animal sanctuary he co-founded. Ellis Park premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2024.

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Editor	Notes
2004	Blue Tongue	Yes	Yes	Yes
2013	Boner McPharlin's Moll	Yes	Yes	No	Segment of The Turning

5.2. Feature Films

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Story Writer
2011	Snowtown	Yes	No	Yes
2015	Macbeth	Yes	No	No
2016	Assassin's Creed	Yes	No	No
2019	True History of the Kelly Gang	Yes	Yes	No
2021	Nitram	Yes	Yes	No
2024	The Order	Yes	Yes	No
TBA	The Siege	Yes	Yes	No

5.3. Documentary Films

Year	Title	Director	Executive Producer	Writer
2024	Ellis Park	Yes	No	No

5.4. Television

Year	Title	Director	Executive Producer	Note
2025	The Narrow Road to the Deep North	Yes	No	Miniseries

5.5. Music Videos

Year	Artist	Title
2006	You Am I	"Friends Like You"

6. Awards and Nominations

Justin Kurzel has received numerous awards and nominations for his work as a film director.

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result
2011	AACTA Awards	Best Direction	Snowtown	Nominated
2011	Film Critics Circle of Australia	Best Direction	Snowtown	Won
2011	Inside Film Awards	Best Director	Snowtown	Won
2013	AACTA Awards	Best Direction	The Turning	Nominated
2015	Cannes Film Festival	Palme d'Or	Macbeth	Nominated
2015	British Independent Film Awards	Best Director of a British Independent Film	Macbeth	Nominated
2021	AACTA Awards	Best Film	Nitram	Won
2021	AACTA Awards	Best Direction	Nitram	Won
2021	Cannes Film Festival	Palme d'Or	Nitram	Nominated
2021	Sitges Film Festival	Best Director	Nitram	Won