Campion, Jane (1954–)
Campion, Jane (1954–)
New Zealand film director. Born April 30, 1954, in Wellington, New Zealand; dau. of Edith Campion (b. 1924, actress) and Richard Campion (opera and theater director); sister of Anna Campion (director); Victoria University, BA, 1975; Sydney College of the Arts, BA, 1979; attended Australian School of Film and Television; m. Colin Englert, 1992; children: 1 daughter, 1 son.
One of international cinema's most distinctive talents, began making short films, including Passionless Moments (1983), A Girl's Own Story (1984) and Two Friends (1986), and won the Palme D'Or at Cannes for 1st short film, Peel (1986); co-wrote and directed 1st feature film Sweetie (1989), which won Georges Sadoul prize for Best Foreign Film (1989) and Australian Critics' Award, among others; followed with An Angel at My Table (1990), based on the autobiography of Janet Frame, which reaped several prizes, including Silver Lion at Venice Film Festival (1990); was the 1st woman to win Palme D'Or for feature-length film at Cannes for The Piano (1993), which also earned her an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and a nomination for Best Director; other films include Holy Smoke (1999), Portrait of a Lady (1996), Soft Fruit (1999) and In the Cut (2000).