Picnic at Hanging Rock

Peter Weir’s most famous film and a seminal work of the Australian New Wave, based on Joan Lindsay’s best-selling novel yet entirely original in its artistic form and innovative creation of an atmosphere of mystery and dread.

When a group of students from Mrs. Appleyard’s exclusive Victorian boarding school sets out on February 14, 1900 (Valentine’s Day) for the titular picnic in the Australian bush, it seems we are witnessing an idyll—as if lifted from an old pastoral painting. The mysterious disappearance of several students leads to the collapse of an orderly world of norms and hierarchies, and for the first time Weir turns in his cinema toward a carefully orchestrated mysticism of seemingly ordinary things.

In Picnic at Hanging Rock, the director also creates an unforgettable soundtrack for the first time, composed of eclectic, perfectly contrasting elements: beneath Hanging Rock, the electronic music of Bruce Smeaton resonates alongside Transylvanian folk melodies—played with passion by the pan flute virtuoso Gheorghe Zamfir. Just as importantly, Picnic… marks Weir’s first feature-length collaboration with cinematographer Russell Boyd, whose images—attuned to the shimmering, sun-filled air of the bush—remain a masterpiece of film photography.

Michał Oleszczyk

In November 2025, Jakub Duszyński, Artistic Director of Gutek Film, travelled to Australia, where he met with Peter Weir. During the visit, he recorded an extensive interview with the director (to be published as part of the book “Peter Weir: Mystic and Traveller”) and invited him to collaborate on a short-form film project. The resulting visual installation, composed of previously unused footage from Picnic at Hanging Rock, was created in close consultation with Weir, who actively participated in its development.

The installation A Dream Within a Dream: Peter Weir is built almost entirely from materials that have never before been publicly presented, including the film’s legendary long-lost ending. In keeping with the director’s wishes, the installation will be presented exclusively on the big screen during Timeless Film Festival Warsaw — making this the only opportunity to see it.

Fragments of this short-form work will be accompanied by the director’s voice, reflecting on his creative process, the making of the film, and the artistic decisions that shaped its final form. The piece will be complemented by an original score composed by Jan Duszyński.

Peter Weir (b. 1944) – director, screenwriter, and producer, and one of the central figures of the Australian New Wave. In the 1970s, he played a crucial role in establishing Australian cinema on the international stage, creating films marked by an atmosphere of mystery, spirituality, and quiet unease. He later transitioned smoothly from auteur filmmaking to Hollywood while retaining his distinctive voice, consistently exploring outsiders, individuals in conflict with systems of power, and the metaphysical dimensions of reality. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Weir has received numerous major honours, including an Honorary Oscar (2022) and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement (2024). He is a master of intelligent yet accessible cinema – one who has reached global audiences without ever sacrificing artistic depth or sensitivity.

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Screening presented courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA).