Born in Wellington, New Zealand; daughter of actress and novelist Edith Campion (1923-2007); educated at Victoria University (Wellington, NZ), Sydney College of the Arts (Australia), and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Emerging as a major figure in the new wave of international women filmmakers, Campion was responsible for several award-winning short films (PEEL, 1982, PASSIONLESS MOMENTS, 1983; A GIRL'S OWN STORY, 1984) before making a darkly stylish feature debut with SWEETIE (1989), a disturbing study of familial tensions and mental breakdown. Campion followed with another fragmented exploration of mental instability, AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (1990), a feature based on the autobiography of her fellow New Zealander, novelist/poet Janet Frame. She continued her critical success, as well as her interest in strong women characters who either are or are thought to be crazy, with her most acclaimed film to date, THE PIANO (1993), which won the Palme D'Or at Cannes, making her the first woman ever to win that prestigious award. Other notable directing/screenwriting credits include AFTER HOURS (1984), THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY (1996), HOLY SMOKE (1999), IN THE CUT (2003), THE WATER DIARY (2006), and BRIGHT STAR (scheduled for 2008). Campion is married to second unit a.d./TV director Colin Englert. They live in Sydney, NSW, Australia. Her older sister is writer/director Anna Campion (b. 1952).  Nominated for Achievement in Directing 1993: THE PIANO  Best Achievement in Writing (Best screenplay written directly for the screen) 1993: THE PIANO 2 nominations, 1 Award