Justin Kurzel

Justin Dallas Kurzel (/kɜːrˈzɛl/; born c. 1974) is a renowned Australian film director with an impressive career span across multiple decades. Born around 1974 in Gawler, South Australia, Justin carries on the immigrant roots of his family, with his father being from Poland and his mother from Malta. His illustrious career has been marked by his noteworthy films which include Snowtown (2011), Macbeth (2015), Assassin's Creed (2016), True History of the Kelly Gang (2018), Nitram (2021), and The Order (2024). His accomplishments aren't limited to directing feature films — Kurzel's influence extends to the realm of short films as well. His graduating short film Blue Tongue (2004) was screened in over 13 international film festivals and won Best Short at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Justin's feature film debut was marked by Snowtown (2011), a controversial yet critical success that earned him the AACTA Award for Best Direction. Further success would come from his 2015 film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Other remarkable achievements include directing Assassin's Creed (2016), based on the popular video game franchise, and True History of the Kelly Gang (2018), an adaptation from Peter Carey's Man Booker Prize-winning novel. Kurzel has also made significant contributions to television, including developing Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North for the small screen. In the personal realm, Kurzel is also known for his marriage to actress Essie Davis, with whom he has twin daughters.