A native of New Zealand, where she was born into a family of theatre workers, Jane Campion is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of our times. Despite its brevity, her filmography — marked by strong, assertive female protagonists and an impressive formal diversity — has won her critical acclaim over the decades.

While still in New Zealand, Campion graduated in Anthropology and became interested in the Arts. After studying Painting in London and Sydney, she enrolled at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. As a film student she directed dozens of short films, some of which were shown at Cannes, such as An Exercise in Discipline: Peel (1982), Passionless Moments (1983) and A Girl’s Own Story (1984).

She had her feature-length film debut with Sweetie (1989), but it was The Piano (1993) that catapulted her into the spotlight. This ravishing drama gave her the distinction of being the first woman to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the second to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars — an award she would go on to win in 2021 with The Power of the Dog. From April to June at Batalha, we present a complete retrospective of Jane Campion’s nine feature films and almost all of her short films — a body of work that illustrates this filmmaker’s pioneering path and her ceaseless exploration of the human psyche; a remarkable, long-lasting and uncompromising journey.