NEW YORK, NY.- The Museum of Modern Art’s Film Benefit, a gala dinner to be held on November 10, will honor the award-winning work of Baz Luhrmann, director, producer, and screenwriter of such films as Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Moulin Rouge! (2001). Hugh Jackman will serve as Honorary Chair of the event; co-chairs are Jay Fielden, editor of Men’s Vogue; Antoine Arnault, Director of Communications at Louis Vuitton; Marie-Josée Kravis, President of the Museum’s Board of Trustees; and Jerry I. Speyer, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. Made possible with the major support of Men’s Vogue and Louis Vuitton, the Film Benefit will raise funds to ensure that great works of cinema continue to join the collection of The Museum of Modern Art.

In addition to a cocktail reception and dinner, the evening will include a special presentation recognizing Luhrmann as a groundbreaking director; his next feature film, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, will be released on November 26.

An Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer, Luhrmann has evolved a unique cinematic language all of his own, taking old genres and reinventing them for new audiences. Harking back to the language of older musicals, Luhrmann’s first film, Strictly Ballroom, was a breakout romantic dance comedy. He then went on to achieve what many said could not be done—to bring Shakespeare to wide appeal among movie-goers with a young actor named Leonardo Di Caprio, and then followed it up with his Oscar-winning love story Moulin Rouge!, which exhibited his talent for cinematic spectacle in its blend of Parisian opulence and decadence.

While cinema is his mainstay, Luhrmann’s creativity has crossed over into other worlds, including theatre, fashion, design, and political campaigns. He and his creative partner, Oscarand Tony-winner Catherine Martin, and their Bazmark production team, have found success in the creation of opera production (at the Sydney Opera House and on the Broadway stage). Luhrmann is also a multi platinum album selling musical producer (Sunscreen Song; two Moulin Rouge! and
two Romeo+Juliet soundtracks; and Something for Everybody), and his groundbreaking worldwide TV and cinema advertising campaign for Chanel No. 5 starring Nicole Kidman won the Cinema Advertising Council’s Creative Excellence Award for Best National Spot. He has just released his most recent endeavor, a unique advertising campaign conceived and produced for Tourism Australia.