Woman Campion, Jane

Occupation
Film Director and Television Director

Written by Kathryn Mcleod, National Film and Sound Archive

Jane Campion was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 30 of April 1954 and is one of Australasia's most celebrated film directors, having directed the highly acclaimed films An Angel at My Table, The Piano and Bright Star. Campion graduated from the Australian Film and Television school (AFTRS) in Sydney in 1984. Her student film Peel: An Exercise in Discipline, which she wrote and directed, was not well received by her teachers at AFTRS. Despite this, it went on to win the Short film Palme d'Or award at the Cannes film festival in 1986.

Campion's landmark film was The Piano, which she wrote and directed. The Piano won three Oscar Awards in 1994, including Best Original Screenplay. The Piano also won the prestigious Palme d'Or, the highest award at Cannes, and established Campion's reputation as an auteur of modern cinema. Campion remains the only female director to ever win the coveted Palme d'Or. Most recently Campion has been working on her first television series Top of the Lake. It was also announced in 2013 that Campion will be president of the Short Film Jury at the 66th Cannes Film Festival.

Published Resources

Books

  • Tibbetts, John C. and Welsh, James M., The Encyclopaedia of Filmmakers, Facts on File, New York, United States of America, 2002. Details

Edited Books

  • Who's Who in Australia, Crown Content, Melbourne, Victoria, 1927 - 2013. Details

Online Resources

See also