NEW YORK.- 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. The event is made possible with the major support of Men’s Vogue and Louis Vuitton, and 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, Oscar- and 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.
The Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Film was established in 1935 as the Film Library, and today is recognized as holding the strongest international film collection in the United States, incorporating all periods and genres. Totaling over 22,000 titles and 4 million film stills, the collection spans the entire history of film. Among its holdings are the original negatives of the Biograph and Edison companies; the D.W. Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks, David O. Selznick, Andy Warhol, and Joseph Cornell collections; contemporary films from Hollywood and around the world; and significant collections of film stills, scripts, posters, and other study materials. Works in the collection are made available through the Film Study Center and exhibition programs, and are stored in the Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center, a state-of-the-art facility in Hamlin, Pennsylvania.
Under the direction of Rajendra Roy, The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, MoMA’s Department of Film organizes public screenings of some 700 films each year in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. The kaleidoscopic programming encompasses all genres and forms of cinema, from classic and repertory to experimental and contemporary. The department is widely recognized for its annual presentations of new cinema from Germany, Brazil, and Canada, as well as the acclaimed New Directors/New Films series, a popular festival that showcases emerging filmmakers.
Tables to the Film Benefit are available for $75,000, $50,000, and $25,000; individual tickets are $5,000 and $2,500 per person. Tables and individual tickets may be reserved by calling 212-708-9402.
