Warren Ellis praised Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel for pushing him “to the outer limits” while directing the musician’s new documentary, “Ellis Park.”
Speaking with Rolling Stone AU/NZ for its June-August issue, Ellis opened up about the making of “Ellis Park,” which follows the musician’s unexpected passion project far from the spotlight: a wildlife sanctuary deep in the Sumatran jungle.
Co-founded by Ellis and led by Dutch-born vet Femke den Haas, the sanctuary rescues trafficked and mistreated animals, nursing them back to health with the help of a devoted team of conservationists.
Described as a “fly-on-the-wall” look at both the creative process and grassroots activism, “Ellis Park” promises to offer an intimate portrait of an artist, and a powerful reminder of what collective action can achieve.
“It was more personal than I anticipated… I freaked out when it was edited and [I watched it],” Ellis told the publication.
On working with Kurzel (“Nitram,” Snowtown”), he said he came out of the experience “loving him like any other close friend that I have.”
“It was an extraordinary creative collaboration with him, and I couldn’t have done that with just anybody. He knew what to do with me. When we finished it, he said to me, ‘I want to tell you, I’ve pushed you as hard on this as any actor I’ve ever worked with.’ It was an incredible gift for me, just on a personal level, to have gone through that with him and to have been pushed to the outer limits,” he revealed.
Ellis, best known for his work with The Dirty Three and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, will tour a string of special Q&A events this June ahead of the release of his new documentary.
At select screenings, Ellis will be joined on stage by Kurzel for an in-person conversation about the film.
After premiering as part of the Sydney Film Festival and Vivid Sydney, “Ellis Park” will roll out to cinemas across the country in June. You can check out the official trailer below.
Further screening information and tickets are available here.
Ellis isn’t the only notable name to recently praise Kurzel.
In a recent Variety AU/NZ interview about Prime Video’s Australian Original miniseries “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” Jacob Elordi had kind words for the esteemed Australian filmmaker.
“It was my literal dream and it was a case of why you should meet your heroes,” the “Saltburn” star said. “I hope I get to make many films with Justin [Kurzel]. He creates such an immersive experience on set and he ensures that it’s as true as it can possibly be. It’s an actor’s delight.”
Elordi went further into the behind-the-scenes process of Kurzel and his crew, revealing the “trust” that he and his co-stars felt working on the series.
“[…] we had a two week rehearsal period where we just sat around a long table, drank coffee, did movement, talked about the dialogue and talked about our own lives. There’s a space that you kind of have to enter if you’re going to make something like this and your attempt is to make it real.”
Warren Ellis Q&A Events
Further screening information and tickets are available here.
Thursday, June 5th
Luna Leederville, Perth, WA
Warren Ellis virtual Q&A
Friday, June 6th
The Astor, Melbourne, VIC
Warren Ellis and Justin Kurzel in-person Q&A
Saturday, June 7th
Palace Regent Cinema, Ballarat, VIC
Warren Ellis and Justin Kurzel in-person Q&A
Saturday, June 7th
Cinema Nova, Melbourne, VIC
Warren Ellis in-person Q&A
Sunday, June 8th
State Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Sydney Film Festival premiere & Vivid Sydney “An Evening with Warren Ellis” event