Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has axed a planned appearance at an Australian film festival after injuring his knee in a nasty fall.

The influential producer had been due to attend the Canberra International Film Festival, where he was to be honoured with a week-long retrospective commemorating his Hollywood career.

Actor Geoffrey Rush was also due to present Weinstein with the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Fellowship during the festivities.

However, Weinstein has now called off his trip after injuring his knee. He is facing surgery to repair the damage, and doctors ordered him not to fly.

Weinstein says in a statement, "It's with great disappointment that doctors' orders force me to cancel my plans to be in Australia due to a knee injury. I was incredibly excited to take part in the Canberra Body of Work weekend and humbled to accept the festival's generous honour."

Dr. Andrew Feldman, Weinstein's physician, adds, "After Mr. Weinstein's recent fall, he needs an immediate operation which, of course, he refuses as he still wants to go to Australia. Our fear is that the thirty hour flight can cause a blood cot - deep vein thrombosis - and we're absolutely insisting in no uncertain terms that he does not take the trip and instead treats his knee."

Following Weinstein's cancellation, the Body of Work retrospective event has been postponed. The movie mogul has made a donation to organisers to ensure they are not affected by the lost revenue.