Bruce Beresford is one of Australia`s best

Bruce Beresford is one of Australia’s best-known directors whose credits
include Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies, Driving Miss Daisy and most
recently Mao’s Last Dancer.
The Academy Award nominated director has been involved in the film
industry from the early 60’s when he worked as an editor in Nigeria.
From 1966-1971 he served as Film Officer for the British Film Institute
Production Board and as a Film Advisor to the Arts Council of Great
Britain.
His 1980 film Breaker Morant brought him wide critical success following
which he was offered dozens of Hollywood scripts including Tender
Mercies. Although this script had already been rejected by many
American directors, Beresford very much enjoyed and agreed to direct
it despite the scepticism within the American film circles about an
Australian directing a movie about a country western star. The daring
decision earned Beresford the 1984 Academy Award nomination for
Best Director and the Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm nomination for
the best film. The much reviled script also won the Academy Award for
Best Original Screenplay.
In addition to films, Bruce Beresford has also directed opera and
theatre productions, including Girl Of The Golden West (Puccini),
staged for the Spoleto Festival in Italy and Elektra (Strauss), which was
staged for the State Opera Company of South Australia, performed in
Adelaide and Melbourne and won the Award for Best Opera
Production of 1991. At the moment he is directing A Streetcar Named
Desire for Opera Australia.