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Justin Kuritzkes
American writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Justin Kuritzkes (/kəˈrɪtskɪs/ kə-RIT-skiss;[1] born May 5, 1990) is an American writer best known for writing the scripts for two of Luca Guadagnino's films, Challengers and Queer (both 2024).[2] He has also been the subject of media coverage because of his activities on YouTube, such as the 2011 video "Potion Seller".[3][4]
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Early life and education
Kuritzkes was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family.[5][6] His father is a gastroenterologist and his mother practiced real estate law.[7]
In 2008, Kuritzkes graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles.[8]
Kuritzkes attended Brown University where he studied philosophy and literary arts. At Brown, Kuritzkes studied with playwrights Gregory Moss, Lisa D'Amour, and Erik Ehn, participated in Production Workshop,[9] and was involved in local protests affiliated with the Occupy movement.[6][10] Kuritzkes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012.[11]
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Career
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Kuritzkes's one-act play An Autobiography of my Brother, first written for the 2008 Harvard-Westlake Playwrights Festival, was among the works honored at the 2010 Young Playwrights Competition.[8]
Beginning during his time at Brown University, Kuritzkes uploaded videos recorded using the Photo Booth application to YouTube.[2] The most famous of these videos, "Potion Seller", went viral online and inspired parodies in publications including The New Yorker.[12]
Kuritzkes received a MacDowell Fellowship in both 2012 and 2016.[6] In 2016, his play The Sensuality Party toured the university circuit of New York state.[13][14] He released the novel Famous People in 2019.[15][16]
In 2021, Kuritzkes's spec script Challengers was featured on the annual edition of The Black List, which was then adapted into a feature film directed by Luca Guadagnino.[17] Ahead of the film's release, he was named one of the top 10 screenwriters to watch in 2023 by Variety.[18] He also adapted William S. Burroughs' 1985 novel Queer for a film directed by Guadagnino.[19]
In April 2024, Variety reported that Kuritzkes would write the screen adaptation of the Don Winslow novel City on Fire, set to star Austin Butler.[20]
In June 2024 he was announced to be developing an untitled film with Jude Law, reportedly inspired by the works of Mike Nichols.[21]
In November 2024, it was announced he had penned a feature film based on the DC character Sgt. Rock, which would reunite him with Queer collaborators Luca Guadagnino and Daniel Craig.[22]
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Personal life
Kuritzkes has been married to filmmaker Celine Song since June 11, 2016. They live together in New York City.[23][24]
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Awards and nominations
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Bibliography
- Famous People: a novel (2019). New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-1-250-30902-0
Notes
- Shared with Luca Guadagnino, Amy Pascal, and Rachel O'Connor
References
External links
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