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Jennifer Kent is an Australian director, screenwriter, and former actress. She is best known for writing and directing the psychological horror film The Babadook (2014). Her second film, The Nightingale (2018), premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Lion.
She graduated in 1991 from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Performing Arts (Acting).
In 2005 Kent directed her short film Monster, which was screened at over 50 festivals around the world, including Telluride, Montreal World, and Slamdance film festivals, SXSW, and Aspen Shortsfest.
In 2014 she adapted her short into a feature-length film The Babadook starring Essie Davis whom Kent had known through drama school. The film tells the story of a single mother played by Davis who must confront a sinister presence in her home while dealing with the emotional fallout of her husband's death. Kent Explains "she was always quite fascinated by people who could suppress really dark, deep, painful experiences and she wanted to explore the idea that perhaps pushing down on those terrible experiences is harder than facing them". The Babadook premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and was quickly picked up for distribution in the U.S. by IFC Films. Kent did five drafts of the feature script, received most of her funding from the South Australian Film Corporation, then conducted a Kickstarter campaign to help raise US$30,000 to pay for set construction. The Babadook received widespread critical acclaim, and doubled its budget with $4.9 million in the worldwide box office. The Babadook script won the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting at the 2015 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.
Kent has been vocal in the press about the lack of female directors in horror cinema. "It will shift, as the world shifts. Women do love watching scary films. It's been proven, and they’ve done all the tests. The demographics are half men, and half women. And we know fear. It's not like we can't explore the subject."
Kent met with executives at Warner Bros. in late 2014 to talk about possibly directing the Wonder Woman film, a job which eventually went to Patty Jenkins.
One of her scripts, Grace, won the Prix Du Scenario for unproduced scripts at the Cinéma des Antipodes festival at Saint Tropez, which presents films from Australia and New Zealand, but Kent said in October 2014, "The story of Grace was very much what I ended up making with The Babadook." She told The Guardian in May 2014 that HBO was courting her for a TV series.
In June 2015, it was reported that the nonfiction book Alice + Freda Forever was being adapted into a film that Kent would write and direct. The book tells the real-life story of Alice Mitchell and her lover Freda Ward whom she killed in 1892. The film's producer is Sarah Schechter.
Currently she is scheduled to direct the live-action adaptation of Clive Barker's novel The Thief of Always.
Kent brought together a team of people she felt could bring her idea to the screen. Radek Ladczuk was the film's cinematographer and helped bring her ideas to life. Kent was influenced by old movies, and initially wanted to film the movie in black and white. She used many different techniques to embody a terrifying set, using colours like "muted grey-and-blue and hints of red as the story became more suspenseful". Ladczuk states that there were five aspects to this film, all shown with different camera movements. The film is split into five different emotions: anxiety, fear, terror, possession, and courage. By shooting with a 32mm lens they were able to capture the mother's feelings and later changed to a 14mm lens. They also used a Steadicam and static camera to help develop the film's layers. Fast and slow motion effects were also added throughout the film, as well as stop motion, and they even mounted a camera vertically on the wall to help with certain shots. A lot of the shots were done in camera because Kent felt that it made the film scarier and more realistic than adding stuff in with CGI later.
The Babadook is presented from the mother's perspective; the struggle of motherhood is a major component of the film's story. According to Clarke, many scenes in the film are relatable because they show the everyday struggles of mothers. Clarke argues that Kent touches on not only parenting but dealing with gossipy friends and sexuality, as shown in a scene where the mother is masturbating. These everyday themes are interspersed with moments of terror and suspense; techniques of classic horror. The film ends with the female lead taming the beast by defending her child, and keeping it in the basement.
| 2005 | Monster | Short film | |||
| 2014 | The Babadook | Debut film and Based on the short Monster | |||
| 2018 | The Nightingale | ||||
Acting roles
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | Short |
| 2002 | Short |
| 2003 | |
Other credits
| 2003 | Production assistant |
| 2006 | Script editor |
| 2006 | Two Twisted | "Love Crimes" | ||
| 2022 | Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities | "The Murmuring" |
Acting roles
| 1992 | 1 episode |
| 1992–1993 | 11 episodes |
| 1993 | 1 episode |
| 1996 | 2 episodes |
| 1997–2000 | 31 episode |
| 1999 | 1 episode |
| 2000 | 1 episode |
| 2001–2003 | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | 1 episode |
| The Ellen Distinctive Achievement | Monster (2005) | Monster | |
| Audience Award (2006) | Monster (2005) | ||
| Onda Curta Prize (2006) | Monster (2005) | ||
| AACTA Awards (4th) | Best Direction | The Babadook | |
| Best Original Screenplay | |||
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best First Film | ||
| Detroit Film Critics Society Awards | Best Breakthrough | ||
| 20th Empire Awards | Best Horror | ||
| Best Picture (2014) | Horror Features | ||
| Best Original Screenplay (2014) | Horror Features | ||
| Breakthrough Artist Awards (2014) | The Babadook (2014) | ||
| BloodGuts UK Horror Awards (2014) | Best Screenplay | ||
| Best Director | |||
| Bram Stocker Awards (2014) | Screenplay | ||
| CFCA Award (2014) | Most Promising Filmmaker | ||
| Audience Choice Award (2014) | Audience Choice Award | ||
| New Talent Grand PIX (2014) | The Babadook (2014) | ||
| DFCC (2014) | Best Director | ||
| Fright Meter Award (2014) | Best Director | ||
| Best Screenplay | |||
| Special Jury Prize (2014) | Jury Prize | ||
| Audience Award (2014) | Best Feature Film | ||
| International Critics Awards (2014) | The Babadook (2014) | ||
| Youth Jury Grand Prize (2014) | The Babadook (2014) | ||
| NYFCC Award (2014) | Best First Film | ||
| Best of Puchon (2014) | The Babadook (2014) | ||
| Rondo Statuette (2014) | Best Film | ||
| Special Prize of the Jury (2014) | The Babadook (2014) | ||
| Prize of the City of Torino (2014) | Best Feature Film | ||
| Special Award (2014) | Best Director | ||
| WFCC Award (2014) | Best Movie by a Woman | ||
| Best Woman Storyteller | |||
| ICP Award (2014) | Best First Feature | ||
| CCOP (2015) | Best First Feature (Melhor Primeira Longa-Metragem) | ||
| ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards (2015) | Best Direction in a Feature Film | ||
| AFCA Coach of the Year Award (2015) | Best Director | ||
| Best Screenplay | |||
| EDA Female Focus Award (2015) | Best Woman Director | ||
| Best Woman Screenwriter | |||
| COFCA Critics Association Awards (2015) | Breakthrough Film Artist | ||
| Fangoria Chainsaw Award (2015) | Best Limited-Release/Direct-to-Video Film | ||
| FCCA Award (2015) | Best Screenplay | ||
| Best Director | |||
| Horror Society Awards (2015) | Best Horror Film | ||
| iHorror Empire Award for Best Horror Award (2015) | Best Foreign Horror Film | ||
| Best Horror Director | |||
| OFTA Film Award (2015) | Best Feature Debut | ||
| 75th Venice International Film Festival | Special Jury Prize | The Nightingale | |
| 9th AACTA Awards | Best Film | ||
| Best Direction | |||
| Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted | |||
| Special Jury Prize (2018) | The Nightingale (2018) | ||
| Golden Lion (2018) | Best Film | ||
| Women Film Critics Circle (2019) | Best Woman Storyteller | ||
| Best Directorial Debut (2019) | Best Directorial Debut | ||
| Audience Award (2019) | Best Film | ||
| Rene Rodriguez Critics (2019) | The Nightingale (2018) | ||
| Knight Competition Grand Jury Prize (2019) | Best Film | ||
| AFCA Award (2020) | Best Director | ||
| Best Screenplay | |||
| FCCA Award (2020) | Best Film | ||
| FCCA Award (2020) | Best Director | ||
| Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted) | |||
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