Baz Lurman on not finishing Australia

Oscar-nominated director Baz Luhrmann's £84 million epic film Australia is due to make its world premiere on Tuesday but the director said he has not finished it yet. Luhrmann, who was honoured at The Museum of Modern Art's Film Benefit in New York on Monday, is flying back to Sydney with a day to spare to complete the film he has spent four years working on. He said: "I'm going back to the mixing desk to finish it in 24 hours. "It's right on the edge, we're right up against it. I literally have to on Friday night push that button. This is really dangerous, I hope there's no problem with the plane going back." Luhrmann said a rough cut of the film, starring Australian actors Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, had so far only been shown to US talk show host Oprah Winfrey and her audience, and Good Morning America host Diane Sawyer. Kidman and Jackman appeared on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday that was dedicated to the film and Winfrey praised it, saying: "I have not been this excited about a movie since I don't know when." Australia is Luhrmann's fourth film. He also directed Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, which was nominated for a best picture Academy Award. The film tells the tale of an English aristocrat, played by Kidman, who inherits a sprawling Outback property and falls in love with a rugged cowboy, played by Jackman. Australia opens here on Boxing Day.

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ITN | November 12, 2008

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