Jane Campion is one of the few women film-makers working today who has
managed to create a unique body of work. A true independent film-maker,
yet she has attracted A List Hollywood superstars to appear in her
films. Who else but Jane Campion could have convinced a tattooed Harvey
Keitel to run buck-naked through the New Zealand landscape in The Piano,
or for the multi-award winning Kate Winslet to pee down her legs in the
middle of the desert in Holy Smoke? Campion is an outspoken champion in
recent debates about the lack of women in senior creative positions
within the film industry. This is the first in our new series of
introductory guides to contemporary filmmakers, In The Scene: Jane
Campion is a must for film fans and students, particularly those
interested in women and film, and the Oscar winner herself: one of only
4 women nominated for a Best Director Oscar. It covers all Campion's
films from her early shorts to the recent TV series Top of the Lake:
China Girl (2017). This book covers Jane Campion's remarkable career
from her Palme D'or winning debut short film Peel to her recent return
to television with Top of the Lake, reflecting on the influence of her
study in anthropology as well as her formative years growing up in New
Zealand.
