Peter Weir

Australian film director

Peter Weir is a renowned Australian film director who has directed critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies across various genres over the past four decades. He is known for his versatility and has received numerous accolades, including six Academy Award nominations and an honorary lifetime achievement award from the Venice Film Festival.

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About the Peter Weir

Peter Lindsay Weir is an Australian retired film director. He is known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as Picnic at Hanging Rockand the historical drama Gallipoliand the epic historical drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). His final feature before his retirement was the well-received The Way Back (2010).

Frequently Asked Questions

Peter Weir was born on August 21, 1944.

Peter Weir has directed a diverse range of films, including Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Peter Weir has received six Academy Award nominations throughout his illustrious career.

In 2022, Peter Weir was awarded the Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement career. In 2024, he also received an honorary lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival (Golden Lion).

Early in his career, Peter Weir was a leading figure in the Australian New Wave cinema movement (1970-1990), with films like Homesdale, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Gallipoli.

The Year of Living Dangerously, a multinational production directed by Peter Weir, was a tremendous success and gained him significant international recognition.

Peter Weir’s final feature film before his retirement was the well-received The Way Back, released in 2010.

9 Quotes by Peter Weir

  1. 1.

    Well, there’s that girl on the Internet – although this isn’t an example of someone who doesn’t know they’re on – but there’s a girl on the Internet who posts one photograph every two minutes from her bedroom.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  2. 2.

    I’ve become wary of interviews in which you’re forced to go back over the reasons why you made certain decisions. You tend to rationalize what you’ve done, to intellectually review a process that is often intuitive.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  3. 3.

    There’s almost a fear that if you understood too deeply the way you arrived at choices, you could become self-conscious. In any case, many ideas which are full of personal meaning seem rather banal when you put words to them.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  4. 4.

    Normally as a director, you do look at other films and things that are relevant. But with this film, it became impossible because I became so aware of the camera placement.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  5. 5.

    I’d love to have another film to go on to. I’m in the mood to work. But I have to be patient, you know, to find that particular kind of project. Occasionally I’ll write one myself if I can summon up the energy.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  6. 6.

    Well, all these stars have their houses swept quite regularly by people who work in the surveillance security business. They come in and they look for bugs and things.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  7. 7.

    National film industries tend to move in cycles. In Australia right now, we’re on a high, a feeling of potential, which as yet shows no sign of flagging. But the word “industry” is misleading. A small national cinema has no industry in the Hollywood sense.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  8. 8.

    It was immediately apparent that it was full of tricky ingredients to balance. In fact, I found it very intriguing. What held me back from saying yes to the producer was that I wasn’t sure who could play Truman.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director

  9. 9.

    Music stops you from thinking.

    Peter Weir

    Australian film director