Jane Campion facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dame Jane Campion DNZM
Campion in 2016
Born	Elizabeth Jane Campion (1954-04-30) 30 April 1954 (age 71) Wellington, New Zealand
Occupation	Screenwriter producer director
Known for	The Piano The Power of the Dog
Spouse(s)	Colin David Englert ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 2001)​
Children	2, including Alice Englert
Parents	Richard Campion (father) Edith Campion (mother)
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Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a famous filmmaker from New Zealand. She is known for writing and directing amazing movies like The Piano (1993) and The Power of the Dog (2021). For these films, she has won many important awards. These include two Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars), two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.

Jane Campion is a pioneering female director. She is the only woman to be nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Director. She also won this award once for The Power of the Dog. She was the first female filmmaker to win the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for The Piano. This film also won her an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

At the 94th Academy Awards, she made history. She won Best Director for The Power of the Dog. She became the oldest female director to win this award. She was also the first woman to win Academy Awards for both directing and screenwriting for different films. She has also won the Silver Lion award at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. She is one of only three women to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film.

Campion has also directed other well-known films. These include An Angel at My Table (1990), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Holy Smoke! (1998), and Bright Star (2009). She also helped create the TV series Top of the Lake (2013). For this series, she received three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award.

Early Life and Education

Jane Campion was born in Wellington, New Zealand. Her mother, Edith Campion, was an actress and writer. Her father, Richard Campion, was a teacher and a director for theatre and opera. Jane grew up surrounded by the world of New Zealand theatre. Her parents even started a theatre company called the New Zealand Players.

At first, Jane didn't want to work in dramatic arts. She studied Anthropology at Victoria University of Wellington and graduated in 1975. In 1976, she went to the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. She also traveled around Europe. She later earned a degree in visual arts (painting) from the Sydney College of the Arts in 1981. Her art school training influenced her later film work. She has mentioned painters like Frida Kahlo as inspirations.

Jane felt that painting had limits. This led her to filmmaking. She made her first short film, Tissues, in 1980. In 1981, she started studying at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. There, she made more short films and finished her studies in 1984.

Filmmaking Career

Early Films and Recognition (1982–1989)

Jane Campion at the 47th Venice International Film Festival in 1990

Jane Campion's first short film, Peel (1982), won a top award at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. She also won awards for her other short films. These include Passionless Moments (1983), A Girl's Own Story (1984), and After Hours (1984).

After film school, she directed a TV episode and her first TV movie, Two Friends (1986). Her first full-length movie, Sweetie (1989), also won international awards.

Breakthrough Success (1990–2006)

She gained more fame with An Angel at My Table (1990). This film was about the life of New Zealand writer Janet Frame. Her biggest success came with The Piano (1993). This movie won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. It also earned her an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1994. At the 66th Academy Awards, Campion was only the second woman ever to be nominated for Best Director for The Piano.

Campion's 1996 film The Portrait of a Lady was based on a novel by Henry James. It starred famous actors like Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich. In 1999, she directed Holy Smoke!, which reunited her with actor Harvey Keitel. This film also starred Kate Winslet. In 2006, she produced a documentary called Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story.

Recent Works and Major Awards (2009–Present)

Her 2009 film Bright Star was a drama about the poet John Keats and his love, Fanny Brawne. It was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Campion also created, wrote, and directed the TV mini-series Top of the Lake. This series was highly praised and won many awards. The lead actress, Elisabeth Moss, won a Golden Globe Award for her role.

Jane Campion in 2014

In 2014, Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the main competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. A Canadian filmmaker named Xavier Dolan won an award there. He said that Campion's film The Piano inspired him to create strong female characters in his own movies. Campion hugged him in response.

In 2015, Campion confirmed she would make a second season of Top of the Lake. This sequel, called Top of the Lake: China Girl, was released in 2017. It was filmed in Sydney and featured Campion's daughter, Alice Englert, in a main role.

In 2019, Campion announced her first film in ten years. It was an adaptation of the novel The Power of the Dog. The film was released in 2021 and premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. There, Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The film received great reviews around the world. It won many awards and nominations for its direction, screenplay, and acting.

In February 2022, The Power of the Dog received 12 nominations at the 94th Academy Awards. This was the most nominations that year. The film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, among others. Campion became the first woman to receive multiple nominations for Best Director. She won Best Director for the film. She is also the first woman to win Best Director without her film also winning Best Picture.

Personal Life

In 1992, Jane Campion married Colin David Englert. He worked as a second unit director on her film The Piano. Their first child, Jasper, was born in 1993 but sadly lived for only 12 days. Their second child, Alice Englert, was born in 1994. Alice is now an actress. Jane and Colin divorced in 2001.

Awards and Honours

Jane Campion receiving the Grand Jury Prize from Anjelica Huston at the 47th Venice International Film Festival

Jane Campion was given the title of Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) in 2016. This honour was for her great contributions to film.

Filmography

Feature Films

Short Films

Television

Images for kids

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  Jane Campion's signature

See also

In Spanish: Jane Campion para niños

• Women's cinema
• New Zealand film makers