Peter Weir.

Legendary Australian film director Peter Weir has been announced as the inaugural recipient of the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Peter will receive the Award – presented by Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) Council Chair, Rachel Perkins – at the Sydney Film Festival on Wednesday June 10.

On that evening, Peter will be In Conversation with actor Rob Carlton for the Sydney Film Festival’s annual Ian McPherson Lecture, presented in partnership with AFTRS.

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This landmark celebration of a lifetime of screen achievement will recognise the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s extraordinary contribution to Australian and international cinema, including modern classics such as Gallipoli, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show. Following the presentation, Weir joins Carlton for a fireside conversation, reflecting on a body of work that has shaped generations of filmmakers and carried Australian stories onto the world stage.

AFTRS’ Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented annually to recognise individuals whose exceptional, career‑long achievements have made a lasting contribution to the screen or audio industries. Recipients will be artists whose work has shaped Australian voices and storytelling, and inspired AFTRS students at the national screen and audio school.

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In determining Peter Weir as the inaugural recipient of the Award, AFTRS Chair Rachel Perkins said: “So many of us recall where we were, and how we felt, watching a Peter Weir film. It is a body of work that resonates so deeply, particularly with Australians, that it has in part defined the notion of who we are. No small accomplishment. AFTRS Council considered the depth and longevity of Peter’s contribution; his global influence on craft, form and storytelling; and his leadership, generosity and commitment to the development of others. In conferring this Award, we hope to reflect the values at the heart of AFTRS, as Australia’s national screen and audio school.”

The Award itself is a piece created by First Nations artist Andrew Snelgar.