Diploma Directing, 1983
After Peel won the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, writer-director Jane Campion set out making her feature debut with Sweetie, which premiered in Cannes three years later. An Angel at My Table premiered at the Venice Film Festival the following year.
It was followed by The Piano, which made Jane the first female director to receive the prestigious Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival. Portrait of a Lady closed the Venice Film Festival in 1996 and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Jane subsequently directed Holy Smoke (1999) In the Cut (2003) and Bright Star (2009) before venturing into television with Top of the Lake, a six-hour miniseries she created with Sweetie co-writer (and fellow AFTRS alum) Gerard Lee.
She directed episodes on both Top of the Lake and its sequel, Top of the Lake: China Girl, which premiered at Cannes in 2017. Jane’s feature film The Power of the Dog premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2021.
AFTRS HIGHLIGHT
Meeting Gerard Lee, Sally Bongers and many other students, working into the small hours of the night with a fun group of other night-owls, actually making films, LEAVING…
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Nothing like a big ol’ prize to restore your faith in yourself and your future… and a few boos at Cannes for my first feature Sweetie to keep it cruel and real.