Podcast – Director Justin Kurzel on embracing your creative voice in a new format
The Narrow Road to the Deep North director shares what he learnt from making his first documentary Ellis Park, as well as advice for navigating the global market.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Justin Kurzel.
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For the critically acclaimed director behind Cannes Critics' Week Jury Special Mention Snowtown, multi-AACTA-winning films True History of the Kelly Gang and Nitram, the most challenging part of creating his latest release Ellis Park was embracing the unknown. While much of his previous work explores true stories through scripted narrative, Ellis Park was his first foray into capturing the story in real time.
“What I loved was being open to what is happening in front of you and how you find meaning in that. These moments that are leading you towards the story that you wanted to start out telling, but, more importantly, the stories that you're discovering,” he says. “It's a living organism in the edit.”
Shot over two and half years, from Ballarat to Sumatra, the film showcases the life and career of the Bad Seeds and Dirty Three musician Warren Ellis and follows Ellis’ first trip to the eponymous Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Indonesia.
Ellis Park is Kurzel’s third release over the past year, alongside feature film The Order, starring Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult, and Amazon Prime’s Australian war drama series The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Throughout the episode, he shares the challenges and joys of multi-tasking while juggling three feature film projects simultaneously, working with frequent collaborators Nick Fenton and Germain McMicking, shaping your project for success on the global market, and how his view of filmmaking has changed from director to producer.
Justin Kurzel and Warren Ellis filming Ellis Park.
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