Jane Campion makes New Year Honours list

Jane Campion makes New Year Honours list

Jane Campion may now be called a Dame, but she says for every other purpose she will be remaining "plain Jane".

Dame Jane has received a New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's New Year Honours list for her services to film.

She called the honour "really, really lovely" and acknowledged those who had helped her in her career as filmmaker spanning 35 years.

"I greatly acknowledge my community here in Glenorchy, my artist community throughout New Zealand and  those New Zealanders who have encouraged me by being an audience, but especially I acknowledge my mother and father, Edith and Richard, for being true pioneers of professional theatre in New Zealand," she says.

"As a filmmaker I have learnt to accept I can do no more than my best, but the discover of that 'best' has been a challenging riddle involving inspiration, sensitivity, focus, risk, determination, imagination, encouragement and support from others."

In 2014, Campion was president of the Cannes Film Festival Main Jury.

She is the first female filmmaker to receive the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Palme d'or, for The Piano in 1993, which she also wrote. The Piano, was awarded Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress (Holly Hunter) and Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin) at the 1994 Academy Awards.

Campion is one of only four female directors ever nominated for the Best Director category of the Awards. 

The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) congratulates Dame Jane and called her a dynamic and significant filmmaker to emerge from "down under".

"Throughout Jane's career she has provided encouragement and support to New Zealand filmmakers, and as a member of New Zealand's Screen Advisory Board, she champions the cause of women filmmakers," NZFC Chair Dame Patsy Reddy says.

"Jane was instrumental in the establishment of the NZFC's film scholarship programme for women and patron of the programme's inaugural JC Cinefem Scholarship for women cinematographers. I am honoured to congratulate [Dame] Jane on this well-deserved recognition," she says.

Dame Jane is keeping busy working on her second season of her critically acclaimed award-winning mini-series Top of the Lake.

3 News