Baz Luhrmann (b. 1962), filmmaker, aspired to be an actor, appearing in Winter of Our Dreams (1981) and studying acting at NIDA before turning to directing. In 1986 he and fellow NIDA students devised a successful one-act stage piece called Strictly Ballroom, which toured Australia the following year. After mounting an acclaimed La Bohème for Opera Australia, he co-wrote and directed the film version of Strictly Ballroom (1992), which won eight Australian Film Institute awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. His 1996 hit Romeo + Juliet was followed by Moulin Rouge (2001), which premiered triumphantly at Cannes and earned eight Oscar nominations, Australia (2008), and an audacious adaptation of The Great Gatsby (2013). Luhrmann's sixth feature film, Elvis, premiered at Cannes in May 2022.
Many of Ingvar Kenne's portraits involve the same square presentation, medium format camera, colour film, and whatever background is available. 'The less the subject tries to convey their emotions the more they speak to the viewer,' Kenne says. 'I think I pay almost more attention to the background than the person, at least initially. Commissioned work or non-commissioned work, it's often a place that attracts me.' He photographed Luhrmann on the set of Moulin Rouge.
Gift of the artist 2006
© Ingvar Kenne
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