Justin Kurzel is a director and screenwriter who was born in Gawler, South Australia, on August 3, 1974. He was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship in 1999. This is a program for graduates in the arts and entertainment industry in Australia that is intended to enhance their experiences in the industry both in Australia and abroad. Kurzel made his feature film debut in 2011 with the Australian biographical crime drama horror movie ‘Snowtown’, which is alternatively known as ‘The Snowtown Murders’. He has since gone on to direct several films and his latest work is an adaptation of ‘The True History of the Kelly Gang’. Here are five more facts about Justin Kurzel you might not know.
1. He is Married to Essie Davis
Kurzel has been married to Essie Davis since 21002. Davis is an actress who has worked in both television and film. She is best-known for playing Phryne Fisher in ‘Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Another of her most famous roles is as Amelia Vanek in ‘The Badabook’. She also had a recurring role in ‘Game of Thrones’ during season six. Kurzel and Davis live in London with their twin daughters, Ruby and Stella.
2. He Has Several Links to Macbeth
One of the works for which Justin Kurzel is best-known is for directing a film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. For this 2015 film, Kurzel was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. However, this is not his only link to this play. He once worked as a stage designer for a production of ‘Macbeth’ and his wife, Essie Davis, played the role of Lady Macbeth.
3. He Has Won Several Awards
During his career, Justin Kurzel has been nominated for six awards of which he has won two. In 2011, he won both the AACTA Award for Best Direction and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Direction. Both Awards were for directing ‘Snowtown’.
4. He Directed Assassin’s Creed
One of Kurzel’s most recent works was the 2016 science fiction action adventure film ‘Assassin’s Creed’. This was based on the video franchise of the same name. Kurzel doesn’t like computer graphics in movies so he purposefully avoided them when making this film. The screenplay for ‘Assassin’s Creed’ was written by Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper, and Bill Collage. Starring in the movie were Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brenda Gleeson, Michael K Williams, and Charlotte Rampling. ‘Assassin’s Creed’ was a commercial and critical success. It grossed $240.7 million from a budget of $125 million.
5. His Brother is Jed Kurzel
Justin Kurzel’s brother is Jed Kurzel who is a blues-rock musician and film composer. Jed has composed much of the music for his brother’s films. He is part of the blues-rock duo ‘The Mess Hall’. Jed plays the guitar and sings the lead vocals while Anthony Johnsen plays the bass guitar and the drums. Although Jed has predominantly worked as a film composer for his brother’s films, he also replaced Harry Gregson-Williams as the composer of the science-fiction horror film ‘Alien: Covenant’ directed by Ridley Scott.
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