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Justin Kuritzkes (born May 5, 1990) is an American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter best known for writing the scripts for two of Luca Guadagnino's films, Challengers and Queer.[1] He has also been the subject of media coverage because of his activities on YouTube, such as the 2011 video "Potion Seller".[2][3]
Justin Kuritzkes | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 5, 1990 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Brown University (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse | |
Kuritzkes was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family.[4][5] His father is a gastroenterologist and his mother practiced real estate law.[6]
In 2008, Kuritzkes graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles.[7]
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,[8] and was involved in local protests affiliated with the Occupy movement.[5][9] Kuritzkes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012.[10]
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Kuritzkes' 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.[7]
Beginning during his time at Brown University, Kuritzkes uploaded videos recorded using the Photo Booth application to Youtube.[1] The most famous of these videos, Potion Seller, went viral online and inspired parodies in publications including The New Yorker.[11]
Kuritzkes received a MacDowell Fellowship in both 2012 and 2016.[5] In 2016, his play The Sensuality Party toured the university circuit of New York state.[12][13] He released the novel Famous People in 2019.[14][15]
In 2021, Kuritzkes' 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.[16] Ahead of the film's release, he was named one of the top 10 screenwriters to watch in 2023 by Variety.[17] He also adapted William S. Burroughs' 1985 novel Queer for a film directed by Guadagnino.[18]
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.[19]
In June 2024 he was announced to be developing an untitled film with Jude Law, reportedly inspired by the works of Mike Nichols.[20]
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.[21]
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Kuritzkes has been married to filmmaker Celine Song since June 11, 2016. They live together in New York City.[22][23]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Challengers | |
| Queer | Also executive producer | |
| TBA | City on Fire † | Pre-production |
| Sgt. Rock † | In development |
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra Film Awards | 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Challengers | Nominated | [24] |
| Astra Midseason Movie Awards | 2024 | Best Screenplay | Won | [25] | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | [26] | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Pending | [27] | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Runner-up | [28] | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | [29] | |
| Winter IndieWire Honors | 2024 | Impact Award[a] | Won | [30] |
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- Shared with Luca Guadagnino, Amy Pascal, and Rachel O'Connor
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