Bazmark Anthony Luhrmann was born on 17 September 1962 in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in the small rural town of Herons Creek, and it was at his father’s movie theatre that the young Luhrmann became enthralled by movies and the power of story telling. At first, he pursued a career in acting and featured in Australian television and film roles. In 1986, he devised, staged and directed a thirty minute play called Strictly Ballroom, which would later become the basis for his first feature film released in 1992. After the success of Strictly Ballroom, 20th Century Fox took note of Luhrmann and he went on to make 1996’s Romeo + Juliet. After several years of working together, Luhrmann married Catherine Martin on 26 January 1997, and they now have two children, Lillian Amanda and William Alexander.

Luhrmann and Martin co-founded their Sydney-based production company, Bazmark Inq in 1997. Luhrmann’s third film was the ambitious 2001 musical, Moulin Rouge!, which received 3 Golden Globe awards and was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Luhrmann then went on to stage a successful Broadway production of Puccini’s, La Bohème, and indicated that this would be the end of his Red Curtain style of film making. He turned his attention to historical epics, and pre-production of Alexander the Great began in mid-2003. However, after being plagued by delays, director Oliver Stone produced his own version and, as a result, Luhrmann’s project was put on hold. After shooting the stunning Chanel No. 5 commercial starring Nicole Kidman, Luhrmann moved on to another of his planned trilogy of epics, The Australian Epic, Australia, which is set to be his most anticipated work to date.


Catherine Agnes Martin, aka ‘CM’, was born on 25 January 1965 in Sydney, Australia. She undertook a Diploma Design Course at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts, which is where she started collaborating on various projects with her future husband, Baz Luhrmann. Martin soon established herself as a talented costume and set designer, and went on to work with Luhrmann on Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet. They married on 26 January 1997, and co-founded their Sydney-based production company, Bazmark Inq. Martin went on to win two Academy Awards for Moulin Rouge! - Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. She also did the set and costume designs for the Broadway production of La Bohème, where she won a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical. Martin gave birth to daughter Lillian Amanda in October 2003, and son William Alexander on 8 June 2005. Martin is now set to work alongside Luhrmann in the production of Australia.


David Hirschfelder was born in 1960 in Victoria, Australia, and from an early age he was certain that one day he would become a musician. Before becoming a film composer, he gained a reputation as an innovative pianist and keyboardist. He formed his own group, Pyramid, before becoming of the Little River Band, which led to collaborations with popular Australian singer, John Farnham. Hirschfelder was keen to apply his composition skills to film, and he went on to become one of Australia’s most outstanding composers. His movie credits include Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Interview and Shine. Hirschfelder has been awarded and been nominated for a number of awards over the years, including two Oscar nominations for Best Original Dramatic Score. His work on Australia sees him reunite with Baz Luhrmann. Hirschfelder composed the soundtrack for Luhrmann’s very first feature film, Strictly Ballroom, for which he won a BAFTA for Best Original Score. Now the world eagerly waits to hear what sound Hirschfelder will give to Luhrmann’s most highly anticipated film to date.

Visit David’s official website and listen to some of his previous works.



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Director/Producer: Baz Luhrmann

Associate Producer and Set/Costume Designer: Catherine Martin

Executive Producer: G. MacBrown

Co-Producer: Catherine Knapman

Associate Producer: Paul ‘Dubsy’ Watters

Post-Production Supervisor: Aaron Downing

Supervising Art Director: Ian Gracie

Second Unit Director: Guy Norris

Location Manager: Phillip Roope

Visual Effects: Animal Logic

Production Companies: Bazmark Film II and 20th Century Fox

Written by: Baz Luhrmann, Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood and Richard Flanagan




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