Justin Kurzel

Justin Dallas Kurzel (; born 1974) is an Australian film director. His films include Snowtown, Macbeth (2015), Assassin's Creed (2016), True History of the Kelly Gang (2018), Nitram (2021) and The Order (2024).

Early life & Education Justin Dallas Kurzel was born around 1974 in Gawler, South Australia to a Polish father and a Maltese mother. His younger brother, Jed Kurzel, is a blues rock musician who has scored all of Justin's feature films.

He first trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Design) in 1995, and then later studied at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television.

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." The film marked Kurzel's first collaboration with writer Shaun Grant.

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 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in Australian cinemas in 2020.

Kurzel was attached to direct multiple episodes of Apple TV's television adaptation of the 2003 novel Shantaram. However, Kurzel departed the project during a production hiatus in February 2020.

In late 2020, it was announced Kurzel would direct Nitram, a film depicting the events leading up to the Port Arthur massacre. The film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2019, it was announced Kurzel would adapt Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North for television, with frequent collaborator Shaun Grant. The series entered production in 2023, with Jacob Elordi and Ciarán Hinds attached in the leading role.

Ellis Park, a documentary by Kurzel about musician Warren Ellis and the animal sanctuary he co-founded, premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2024.

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

Filmography

Feature film Year Title Director ProducerNotes 2011 Snowtown Also story writer 2015 Macbeth 2016 Assassin's Creed 2019 True History of the Kelly Gang 2021 Nitram 2024 The Order TBA Burning Rainbow Farm Filming

Television Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer Note 2025 The Narrow Road to the Deep North 5 episodes Black Rabbit Episodes 7 and 8

Short film Year Title Director Writer Notes 2004 Blue Tongue Also editor 2013 Boner McPharlin's Moll Segment of The Turning

Documentaries Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer Writer 2024 Ellis Park

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

Awards and nominations AACTA Awards Year Title Category Result 2011 SnowtownBest Direction 2013 The Turning 2021Nitram Best Film Best Direction

Cannes Film Festival Year Title Category Result 2015 MacbethPalme d'Or 2021 Nitram

Other awards Year Award Category Title Result2011 Film Critics Circle of Australia Best DirectionSnowtown Inside Film Awards Best Director 2015 British Independent Film Awards Best Director of a British Independent Film Macbeth