---
name: "Peter Weir"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/peter-weir"
fi1m_id: "peter-weir"
imdb_id: "nm0001837"
tmdb_id: 2690
wikidata_id: "Q55424"
roles: ["Director","Writer","Producer"]
born: "21 August 1944"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 84
average_as: "director"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-09-26T00:10:46.231093+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Peter Weir

## Identity

Peter Weir

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/peter-weir
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** peter-weir
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001837
- **TMDB ID:** 2690
- **Wikidata ID:** Q55424
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Weir, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55424, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001837/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2690

Director and writer. Born 21 August 1944 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer, Producer
- **Born:** 21 August 1944, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- **Active:** 1971–2003
- **Also known as:** Peter Lindsay Weir
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 7 directing, 1 producing
- **Frequently works with:** [Edward S. Feldman](https://film.one/person/edward-s-feldman.md), [Hal McElroy](https://film.one/person/hal-mcelroy.md), [Jim McElroy](https://film.one/person/jim-mcelroy.md), [Vivean Gray](https://film.one/person/vivean-gray.md)
- **BAFTA Film Awards:** 2 BAFTAs (2 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 84, as director, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 84 (3), 1980s 82 (3), 1990s 88 (1), 2000s 86 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 85 to 77 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 7, Mystery 2, War 2, Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 13 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $852m across 7 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Weir, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55424, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001837/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2690

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Picnic at Hanging Rock*](https://film.one/film/picnic-at-hanging-rock.md) (88), [*The Last Wave*](https://film.one/film/the-last-wave.md) (77)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Truman Show*](https://film.one/film/the-truman-show.md) (88)
- **Apple TV:** [*Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World*](https://film.one/film/master-and-commander-the-far-side-of-the-world.md) (86)
- **Tubi:** [*Witness*](https://film.one/film/witness.md) (84)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Peter Weir

> Peter Weir is at his best when a carefully built world starts to feel unbearable to the person living in it. We value his patience with actors, and his willingness to let a comedy hurt.

In *The Truman Show* (1998), a conversation turns into a sales pitch while Truman still expects affection. Peter Weir lets the awkwardness continue long enough for the joke to become unpleasant. We laughed at the fake advertisements, then felt uncomfortable because Jim Carrey's Truman Burbank was being sold something when he thought he was being loved. We value Weir for taking that discomfort seriously rather than hurrying to the next joke.

That attention to people under pressure connects the Australian films to the Hollywood work. *Picnic at Hanging Rock* (1975) brought his Australian breakthrough; *Gallipoli* (1981) and *The Year of Living Dangerously* (1982) followed. *Witness* (1985) took him to Hollywood, without ending his interest in people facing isolation. The surroundings help explain why a character feels trapped or out of place. His collaborators include cinematographer Russell Boyd, who worked with him on five films.

Andrew Niccol supplies the cruel premise of *The Truman Show*: Truman Burbank is on television without knowing it. Carrey gives that situation a vulnerability that keeps the film from becoming merely pleased with its own cleverness. Laura Linney and Noah Emmerich make Meryl and Marlon warm enough for Truman's growing uncertainty to hurt. Weir's patience lets us believe in the affection Truman expects, which makes the advertisements harder to dismiss as easy satire.

We recommend the film warmly, though its account of responsibility becomes too tidy. The ease with which it assigns blame weakens the satire. Its attention to Truman's pain does not quite excuse that simplification, even if it gives us a substantial reason to forgive it.

*Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003) continued his work in period filmmaking, and *The Way Back* (2010) was his last feature before retirement. Those later films broaden the choice, but we would start with *The Truman Show*. Give its uncomfortable conversations your full attention rather than waiting for the next joke.

## Biography

Peter Lindsay Weir is an Australian film director, screenwriter and producer. Born in Sydney, he began his career in the Australian New Wave of the 1970s and 1980s with films including *Picnic at Hanging Rock* (1975), *The Last Wave* (1977) and *Gallipoli* (1981).

Weir later directed a series of international productions, among them *The Year of Living Dangerously* (1982), *Witness* (1985), *Dead Poets Society* (1989), *The Truman Show* (1998), *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003) and *The Way Back* (2010). He received six Academy Award nominations and was awarded the Academy Honorary Award in 2022 for lifetime achievement.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Directed (7) — the average rests on these

- *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003), Fi1m 86, Producer, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/master-and-commander-the-far-side-of-the-world.md)
- *The Truman Show* (1998), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-truman-show.md)
- *Dead Poets Society* (1989), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/dead-poets-society.md)
- *Witness* (1985), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/witness.md)
- *Gallipoli* (1981), Fi1m 82, Director, Story — [page](https://film.one/film/gallipoli.md)
- *The Last Wave* (1977), Fi1m 77, Director, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-wave.md)
- *Picnic at Hanging Rock* (1975), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/picnic-at-hanging-rock.md)

### Produced (1)

- *Wake in Fright* (1971), Fi1m 86, Production Assistant — [page](https://film.one/film/wake-in-fright.md)

## Complete filmography (34)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *All Is Lost* (2013), Thanks — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/all-is-lost.md)
- *The Way Back* (2010), Producer, Director, Screenplay
- *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003), Screenplay, Director, Producer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/master-and-commander-the-far-side-of-the-world.md)
- *The Truman Show: Tru-Talk* (1998), Idea
- *The Truman Show* (1998), Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-truman-show.md)
- *Fearless* (1993), Director
- *Green Card* (1990), Producer, Director, Writer
- *Dead Poets Society* (1989), Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/dead-poets-society.md)
- *The Mosquito Coast* (1986), Producer, Director
- *Witness* (1985), Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/witness.md)
- *The Year of Living Dangerously* (1982), Screenplay, Director
- *Gallipoli* (1981), Director, Story — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/gallipoli.md)
- *The Plumber* (1979), Director, Writer
- *Heart, Head & Hand* (1979), Director
- *The Last Wave* (1977), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-wave.md)
- *Luke's Kingdom* (1976), series, Director
- *Picnic at Hanging Rock* (1975), Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/picnic-at-hanging-rock.md)
- *The Cars That Ate Paris* (1974), Director, Story, Screenplay
- *Whatever Happened to Green Valley?* (1974), Director
- *The Fifth Facade: The Making of the Sydney Opera House* (1973), Script
- *3 Directions in Australian Pop Music* (1972), Director
- *Incredible Floridas* (1972), Director
- *Adults Learning: The Billiard Room* (1972), Director
- *Adults Learning: Boat Building* (1972), Director
- *Adults Learning: The Field Day* (1972), Director
- *Adults Learning: The Computer Centre* (1972), Director
- *Wake in Fright* (1971), Production Assistant — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/wake-in-fright.md)
- *Homesdale* (1971), as Robert 2 · Director, Writer
- *Three to Go* (1971), Director, Writer
- *Three to Go: Michael* (1970), Director, Writer
- *Man on a Green Bike* (1969), as Technology/Mayor of Cadmium · Writer
- *Stirring the Pool* (1969), Director
- *The Life and Flight of the Reverend Buck Shotte* (1968), as Buck · Director, Producer, Story, Writer
- *Count Vim's Last Exercise* (1968), as Mr. Thin · Director, Producer, Writer

## Gallery

- ![Peter Weir](https://film.one/media/person/87646/gallery-322d13676bf2.jpg) Peter Weir — Piotr Drabik, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/PeterWeirApr2011_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Gwiazda Petera Weira na Alei Gwiazd w Krakowie na Bulwarze Czerwieńskim. (2023)](https://film.one/media/person/87646/gallery-2850a4ad5d5d.jpg) Gwiazda Petera Weira na Alei Gwiazd w Krakowie na Bulwarze Czerwieńskim. (2023) — Mach240390, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/GwiazdaPeteraWeira-AlejaGwiazd-BulwaryWi%C5%9Blane-POL%2C_Krak%C3%B3w.jpg/1280px-GwiazdaPeteraWeira-AlejaGwiazd-BulwaryWi%C5%9Blane-POL%2C_Krak%C3%B3w.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Zdjęcie zrobione podczas międzynarodowego festiwalu kina niezależnego Off Plus Camera 2011 w Krakowie.](https://film.one/media/person/87646/gallery-1f67aee1f051.jpg) Zdjęcie zrobione podczas międzynarodowego festiwalu kina niezależnego Off Plus Camera 2011 w Krakowie. — Piotr Drabik from Poland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Lunch_z_Peterem_Weirem_%285649754205%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Peter Weir at an independent film festival in Kleparz, Krakow, Lesser Poland. (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/87646/gallery-a30a204da17c.jpg) Peter Weir at an independent film festival in Kleparz, Krakow, Lesser Poland. (2011) — Piotr Drabik, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/PeterWeirApr2011.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Peter Weir](https://film.one/media/person/87646/gallery-a9d624f4f104.jpg) Peter Weir — Image via TMDB
- ![Zdjęcie zrobione podczas międzynarodowego festiwalu kina niezależnego Off Plus Camera 2011 w Krakowie.](https://film.one/media/person/87646/gallery-e97158e9f006.jpg) Zdjęcie zrobione podczas międzynarodowego festiwalu kina niezależnego Off Plus Camera 2011 w Krakowie. — Piotr Drabik from Poland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Peter_Weir_%285649750187%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Zdjęcie zrobione podczas międzynarodowego festiwalu kina niezależnego Off Plus Camera 2011 w Krakowie.](https://film.one/media/person/87646/gallery-3cb238d7b12e.jpg) Zdjęcie zrobione podczas międzynarodowego festiwalu kina niezależnego Off Plus Camera 2011 w Krakowie. — Piotr Drabik from Poland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Peter_Weir_%285650316388%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 6 nominated

- 2004: Best Picture (nominated), for *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World*
- 2004: Best Director (nominated), for *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World*
- 1999: Best Director (nominated), for *The Truman Show*
- 1991: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Green Card*
- 1990: Best Director (nominated), for *Dead Poets Society*
- 1986: Best Director (nominated), for *Witness*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 2 won

- 2004: Best Direction (won), for *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World*
- 1999: Best Direction (won), for *The Truman Show*

### Other awards — 5 won

- Academy Honorary Award 2022: Academy Honorary Award (won)
- Sitges Grand Honorary Award 2018: Sitges Grand Honorary Award (won)
- Hugo Awards 1999: Best Dramatic Presentation (won), for *The Truman Show*
- European Film Award for Best Non-European Film 1998: European Film Award for Best Non-European Film (won), for *The Truman Show*
- Member of the Order of Australia 1982: Member of the Order of Australia (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/peter-weir