Today we caught up with Justin Kurzel to discuss his feature film debut Snowtown, the giddiness of Cannes and the purported “Australian Film Renaissance” we’ve been hearing so much about. From David Michod’s Sundance approved Animal Kingdom to Warwick Thornton’s Cannes winning Samson and Delilah, it’s a phenomenon Kurzel attributes not to serendipitous talent pools or increased government funding but Australia’s inclusive short film circuit. Read a portion of our interview below…
It feels like Australia is in the midst of a film renaissance at the moment. Do you buy into that at all? I do, I do. I think there are a number of filmmakers – and I could name another ten who haven’t made their first film yet but I know they will and they’ll be extraordinary – there’s a guy called Amiel Courtin Wilson [Bastardy] who made a film called “Hail” that premiered in Adelaide and it’s just unbelievable…I think five or six years ago these guys were making unbelievable short films, really interesting and exciting short films, and I just think it’s taken five or six years for them to get into a position to make their first features. I also think there’s something uncompromising about them because they’re all at an age where they’ll go for it regardless. So I agree, I do think there’s a renaissance of sorts and you only have to look at the type of films being made at the moment to see that.
What do you attribute that to? You mentioned this collective history in short films culminating in all this talent but from a storytelling perspective, what do attribute all this output too? I feel like we’re finally embracing Australian culture and stories to the point where we’ve finally gotten over the whole cultural cringe thing. And illustrating that point, the thing that really stood out for me in Snowtown was the voices of Rex Hunt and Tony Grieg on the television. It’s such a uniquely Australian touchstone… Exactly! You don’t think about it much but those two are real touchstones of popular Australian culture, they are so of that era and we shouldn’t be ashamed of them. [Pause] I think it just takes a lot of passion and intuition to make films. And I think at the time – four, five, even ten years ago – a lot of those filmmakers were just getting off their own backsides and making films and being really passionate and in love with it. I would always go around festivals with my short and see so many Australian films and they were all by these guys, guys I know now who have just made their first film or are about to make their first film. I just think there’s an incredibly strong voice in Australian film at the moment and it isn’t being dictated by commercial pressures. It’s got an individuality about it that embraces Australian culture in a new way and it’s great because everyone wants to make sure their first film is a full expression of who they are. That’s why we’ve had a spate of really fantastic debut features and it’s great that the rest of the world is starting to take notice.
Full interview to come…
