Jennifer Kent

Jennifer Kent is an Australian director, screenwriter, and former actress. She is best known for writing and directing the psychological horror film The Babadook. Her second film, The Nightingale (2018), premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Lion.

Early life and education Jennifer Kent was born in Brisbane, Queensland. She says that she put on her first play when she was seven and also wrote stories. In an interview with Paul Risker, she states, "I actually started writing my own plays as a kid: directing and acting in them," and that "it was something that was very organic for me." In her late teens, she chose acting as she "wasn't really aware at that stage that women could direct films". While growing up, there weren't many female filmmakers in her region, so she aspired to become an actress and attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).

She graduated in 1991 from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Performing Arts (Acting).

By the end of her journey with education, she claims she "was burnt out and had terrible stage fright," in a masterclass interview that took place in August 2020. After a while, she figured that acting wasn't for her after all, but wanted to continue writing and directing. Kent described her writing process as bad, resulting in her becoming doubtful of her ability to be a director. As she continued writing, however, the feeling that she could succeed became more apparent. A strong, memorable moment for her is when she viewed the film Dancer in the Dark, a film written and directed by Lars von Trier. At the end of the viewing, she leaped into the air and stated, "I'm going to work with the man who made this film." She was eventually offered the opportunity to spend a day on set, and after that experience, she ultimately realized that she was capable of becoming a director and writer.

Directing After losing interest in acting, Kent was inspired after seeing Dancer in the Dark to pursue a career as a filmmaker. She wrote to the director Lars von Trier, asking to study under him and explaining that she found the idea of film school repellent. In 2002 von Trier allowed her to assist him as part of a directing attachment on the set of his film Dogville (2003) starring Nicole Kidman. In a journal by Paul Risker, which speaks about "The Quarterly Review of Film & Video", Kent shared her journey on becoming a director. While working with Lars von Trier, she "learned a lot about directing watching him at work." In 2006 Kent directed an episode of Two Twisted, an Australian series following in the tradition of The Twilight Zone. The film tells the story of a single mother played by Davis who must confront a sinister presence in her home while dealing with the emotional fallout of her husband's death. Kent explains "[she] was always quite fascinated by people who could suppress really dark, deep, painful experiences and [she] wanted to explore the idea that perhaps pushing down on those terrible experiences is harder than facing them". The Babadook premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and was quickly picked up for distribution in the U.S. by IFC Films. Kent did five drafts of the feature script, received most of her funding from the South Australian Film Corporation, then conducted a Kickstarter campaign to help raise US$30,000 to pay for set construction. The Babadook received widespread critical acclaim, and doubled its budget with $4.9 million in the worldwide box office. The Babadook script won the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting at the 2015 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.

Kent has been vocal in the press about the lack of female directors in horror cinema. "It will shift, as the world shifts. Women do love watching scary films. It's been proven, and they've done all the tests. The demographics are half men, and half women. And we know fear. It's not like we can't explore the subject."

Later in March 2017, Jennifer Kent began the production of The Nightingale, starring Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr, who play Clare Carroll and Billy. The film takes place in 1825 and tells a story of Clare, who seeks vengeance, and a tracker named Billy, whom she hires.

While making the film, Kent felt that she couldn't authentically tell the story unless she collaborated with Tasmanian Aboriginal people. While in Tasmania, she eventually got in touch with Jim Everett, who became a part of the film's production. In an interview called "Once Upon a Time in Van Diemen's Land" by Graham Fuller, Kent shared, "We enlisted 'Uncle' Jim Everett, a Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder, who could speak directly to the experience." She also states that without Jim Everett's vast input, she wouldn't have made Billy as real as possible. She also stated that Nightingale "was the only movie directed by a woman to play in competition at the Venice Film Festival last year."

Style and themes When designing the soundtrack for The Babadook, Kent states, "I think a lot of modern horror films tend to just think a loud sound is an assault, and that's a way to scare people." According to Kent, sound, an effect in film she adores, is extremely important to horror films. She explains that "we worked very hard with the Babadook soundtrack to make something that was truly unsettling." While creating the voice of The Babadook, she described the process as one of trial and error. Afraid that the character would sound stupid, she waited to finalize sound designs until she heard the one sound that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

When initially designing the Babadook's appearance, Kent was inspired by Lon Chaney's makeup design in London After Midnight (1927). When building a character, Kent starts with a feeling of something that, at first, is amorphous, as she describes it. With the Babadook, Kent was drawn to the feeling of grief and its impact if left undiscussed. Kent claims the Babadook, inspired by the idea of facing grief, thus came to her and "wanted to be discussed" in "a scary form" due to the fact that grief, itself, is a "fear of feeling" and a "definite specific terror."

The Babadook (2014)

When making films, Kent explains she tends to start writing from an idea. While making the film The Babadook, she shared that she was in the process of grieving. She didn't want the idea behind the film to surround that feeling of grief, but instead suppression due to a fascination she had with the idea of someone unable to go through the process of a big loss. This gave her the "lightning bolt," as she describes it, which came to her and allowed the film to grow. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film garnered an approval rating of 86%, based on 234 reviews.

The film received funding from an investment from Screen Australia and financial support from Kojo Productions and Screen Tasmania. The film ended up with a budget of two million dollars and grossed less than half of the costs, causing the film to be a failure at the box office.

"The Murmuring" (2022)

In Guillermo del Toro's television series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, Jennifer Kent directed a short story from Del Toro in episode eight of the series, titled "The Murmuring."

The episode stars Essie Davis and Andrew Lincoln. They play a married couple who have moved into a new home and use their work to suppress their grief. Kent explores the episode's grief themes and turns them into horror.

Personal life As an actress wanting to direct, Kent said she felt boxed in in some areas. In an interview, she recalled a time when she was younger and she told a friend that she wanted to direct. According to Kent, her friend, acknowledging the struggles female directors face, responded by asking "Why do you have to make everything so hard for yourself?" In some ways, Kent thought she was right, but explained that she has felt, as an Australian, she could not live in Australia and not tell the stories of others facing similar struggles of their own.

When making The Babadook, she met with two screenwriters to decide on production, and was asked if the film was real or psychological. These writers claimed a film could not have both, to which Kent responded, "Yes, I think you can." While making her argument, Kent referenced The Shining (1980) as an example of a film which does so. The response she was given was "yeah, but you're not Kubrick." Kent said that these were the kind of obstacles she faced as a woman in the process of becoming a film director.

The screenwriters denied her script, forcing her to change it. When she later returned with two altered pages, they allowed her to move forward with making the film. While it was the same script, according to Kent, "you have to fight hard and be slippery to find a way through to keep the script you want." Kent advised young emerging filmmakers to understand that resistance, disapproval, and rejection are part of the filmmaking process. She explained that the script for The Babadook was criticized heavily, the production, and cut as well. She said to be stubborn, but also to learn to take criticism and listen to great ideas.

Reception During the making of The Babadook, she described seeing Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman working together, stating that seeing such a young boy with emotional intelligence and commitment stunned her. Kent said that one of the reasons she makes films is to reach people. In an academic journal that recorded an interview discussing the film, she states, "The process of completing Babadook has really given me the confidence that yes, I can actually make a film, and that my ideas can reach people."

In an interview given by Collider, she revealed that someone who had recently lost their father reached out to her and explained that it was just their mom with three boys. He shared that when watching the film he was "drawn in" and, according to Kent, said "thank you, your film gave me more than twenty years of therapy." She explained that her film "really spoke to him" and that it was very "precious" to her, and that is why she makes films.

Future projects When asked whether she would be doing a sequel to The Babadook, Kent said that she "will never allow any sequel to be made, because it's not that kind of film."

One of her scripts, Grace, won the Prix Du Scenario for unproduced scripts at the Cinéma des Antipodes festival at Saint Tropez, which presents films from Australia and New Zealand, but Kent said in October 2014, "The story of Grace was very much what I ended up making with The Babadook." She told The Guardian in May 2014 that HBO was courting her for a television series.

In June 2015, it was reported that the nonfiction book Alice + Freda Forever was being adapted into a film that Kent would write and direct. The book tells the real-life story of Alice Mitchell and her lover Freda Ward whom she killed in 1892. The film will be produced by Sarah Schechter.

In 2026, sales began at the Cannes Film Festival for an adaptation of The Girl Who Was Plugged In, which Kent will write and direct. The film is set to start shooting in mid-November in Australia, with Sophie Thatcher attached to play dual roles.

Film techniques

The Babadook strays from the typical approach to the genre of horror by using a mix of psychological drama and horror and focusing on the imagination of children slowly turning into a reality. Kent does this by using horror elements in the layout and camerawork. The film uses German expressionist techniques; many of the scenes are disorienting and dark. Ladczuk states that there were five aspects to this film, all shown with different camera movements. The film is split into five different emotions: anxiety, fear, terror, possession, and courage.

The Babadook is presented from the mother's perspective; the struggle of motherhood is a major component of the film's story. According to Clarke, many scenes in the film are relatable because they show the everyday struggles of mothers. Clarke argues that Kent touches on not only parenting but dealing with gossipy friends and sexuality, as shown in a scene where the mother is masturbating. These everyday themes are interspersed with moments of terror and suspense; techniques of classic horror. The film ends with the female lead taming the beast by defending her child, and keeping it in the basement.

Filmography Film Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2005 Monster Short film 2014 The Babadook Debut film and based on the short Monster 2018 The Nightingale

Acting roles Year Title Role Notes 1997 The Well Marg Trinder 1998 Chlorine Dreams Lisa (mum) Short Babe: Pig in the City Lab Lady 2002 Six Days Straight Meg Short 2003 Preservation Grieving Mother

Other credits Year Title Role 2003 Dogville Production assistant 2006 Hunt Angels Script editor

Television Year Title Director Writer Episode 2006 Two Twisted "Love Crimes" 2022 Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities "The Murmuring"

Acting roles Year Title Role Notes 1992 A Country Practice Penelope Rose 1 episode 1992–1993 The New Adventures of Black Beauty Caroline Carmichael 11 episodes 1993 G.P. Rachel Hardy 1 episode 1996 Police Rescue Michelle 2 episodes 1997–2000 Murder Call Constable Dee Suzeraine 31 episode 1999 O'Loghlin on Saturday Night Fake producer 1 episode 2000 Above the Law Geri Harrison 1 episode 2001–2003 All Saints Joanna Hayes 3 episodes 2002 BackBerner Various 1 episode

Awards Award Category Subject ResultThe Ellen Distinctive Achievement Monster Audience Award (2006) Onda Curta Prize (2006) AACTA Awards(4th) Best Direction The Babadook Best Original Screenplay New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best First Film Detroit Film Critics Society Awards Best Breakthrough 20th Empire Awards Best Horror Best Picture (2014) Horror Features Best Original Screenplay (2014) Horror FeaturesBreakthrough Artist Awards (2014) BloodGuts UK Horror Awards (2014) Best Screenplay Best Director Bram Stocker Awards (2014) Screenplay CFCA Award (2014) Most Promising Filmmaker Audience Choice Award (2014) Audience Choice Award New Talent Grand PIX (2014) DFCC (2014) Best Director Fright Meter Award (2014) Best Director Best Screenplay Special Jury Prize (2014) Jury Prize Audience Award (2014) Best Feature Film International Critics Awards (2014) Youth Jury Grand Prize (2014) NYFCC Award (2014) Best First Film Best of Puchon (2014) Rondo Statuette (2014) Best Film Special Prize of the Jury (2014) Prize of the City of Torino (2014) Best Feature Film Special Award (2014) Best Director WFCC Award (2014) Best Movie by a Woman Best Woman Storyteller ICP Award (2014) Best First Feature CCOP (2015) Best First Feature (Melhor Primeira Longa-Metragem) ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards (2015) Best Direction in a Feature Film AFCA Coach of the Year Award (2015) Best DirectorBest Screenplay EDA Female Focus Award (2015) Best Woman Director Best Woman Screenwriter COFCA Critics Association Awards (2015) Breakthrough Film Artist Fangoria Chainsaw Award (2015) Best Limited-Release/Direct-to-Video Film FCCA Award (2015) Best Screenplay Best Director Horror Society Awards (2015) Best Horror Film iHorror Empire Award for Best Horror Award (2015) Best Foreign Horror Film Best Horror Director OFTA Film Award (2015) Best Feature Debut 75th Venice International Film Festival Special Jury Prize The Nightingale 9th AACTA Awards Best Film Best Direction Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted Special Jury Prize (2018) Golden Lion (2018) Best Film Women Film Critics Circle (2019) Best Woman Storyteller Best Directorial Debut (2019) Best Directorial Debut Audience Award (2019) Best Film Rene Rodriguez Critics (2019) Knight Competition Grand Jury Prize (2019) Best Film AFCA Award (2020) Best Director Best Screenplay FCCA Award (2020) Best Film FCCA Award (2020) Best Director Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)