AC recognises Luhrmann and Martin’s journey to the world stage

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin have been awarded the Order of Australia in recognition of their contribution to the arts.

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin at the 2024 LACMA Art + Film Gala presented by Gucci at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Picture: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

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Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, the maximalist masterminds behind some of the most visually extravagant films ever to come out of Australia (or anywhere, frankly), have been ­appointed Companions of the Order of Australia in recognition of their contribution to the arts.

Martin, who has more Academy Awards than any other Australian (four, if you’re counting), says “I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians whom I have admired and been inspired by. Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful.”

Reflecting on his career, Luhrmann, a two-time Academy Award nominee, says: “My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts.” Luhrmann spent his early childhood in ­Herons Creek, an 11-house town in northern NSW.

“Catherine Martin and I feel this honour recognises not just us, but those who have made access to the arts possible for every Aus­tralian,” he adds.

It’s hard to imagine Australia’s cultural landscape without the opulence of Luhrmann and Martin’s work. They met as students at NIDA in the 1980s and haven’t stopped making beautiful, outrageous things since.

Their creative partnership didn’t start on screen but on stage. Martin worked on Luhrmann’s 1988 opera experiment Lake Lost and went on to design sets for his La bohème and A Midsummer Night’s Dream productions for Opera Australia.

But it was 1992’s Strictly Ballroom, a spangly satire of the dance world that dared to be unabashedly Australian, that vaulted them to international fame. The film had its first public screening at Cannes, at midnight, in the Un Certain Regard program. It earned a 15-­minute standing ovation and sparked an international distribution bidding war.

Not bad for a first act.

From there, the creative duo took even bolder swings: the jukebox musical Moulin Rouge!, which mashed together absinthe, Nirvana and doomed romance. Martin’s work on that film earned her two Oscars – one for production design, one for costume.

Romeo + Juliet reimagined Shakespeare with guns, teen angst and Hawaiian shirts, but kept the Elizabethan English intact.

The Great Gatsby (2013) paired Fitzgerald with Jay-Z – a move that, depending on your sensibilities, was either inspired or absurd. The 3D blockbuster was largely loathed by critics but adored by ­audiences, and remains their most profitable film to date, raking in $544 million globally.

Catherine Martin and Baz Luhrmann arrive for the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

Even their misfires, like Australia (a sweeping melodrama set in the outback, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman), were vast in scope and style. Or 2022’s Elvis, which became Luhrmann’s second-highest-grossing film — a post-pandemic box-office success that introduced a new generation to Presley. Their films are loved or hated, but never ignored. As Luhrmann told Review, “If you live outside the box, a lot of great things come with that, but you’ve got to pay the price,”

They also have a knack for spotting rising stars early in their careers – from Leonardo DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet to Kidman in Moulin Rouge!, and most recently Austin Butler in Elvis.

This emphasis on emerging talent is echoed in Martin’s Order of Australia citation, which highlights her role in “fostering emerging artistic talent”.

In 2004, Luhrmann and Martin reunited with Kidman for a Chanel No. 5 advertisement, created in collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. The result was a three-minute short film featuring an unforgettable billowing gown (which Kidman would later wear to the Met Gala) and a ravishing romance in New York City. At the time, it was the most expensive commercial ever produced.

On the personal front, Luhrmann and Martin married in 1997. Despite their high-profile work, they’ve maintained a relatively private family life. They share two children and have largely let their work speak for them.

Together, they’ve cultivated a singular vision — maximalist cinema that’s both over-the-top and disarmingly sincere. Luhrmann builds the world with swooping camera shots and theatrical flourishes; Martin makes it real. It’s bold, bawdy, emotional, kitsch, and serious – often all at once. They’ve always known how to put on a show. And after three decades of sequins, swing doors and cinematic fireworks, they’ve finally earned top billing at home.