Mentor Bio
Jan Chapman has produced some of Australia's most critically successful and popular films - including AFI Best Film winner, Lantana and Academy Award® winner, The Piano – and supported and nurtured the careers of some of its most talented filmmakers.
She studied at Sydney University before becoming involved in the Sydney Filmmakers Co-Op. This led to her becoming a producer in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s drama department where she produced Jane Campion’s first television feature Two Friends (1986). Since founding her own production company, Jan’s credits include: The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), The Piano (1993), Love Serenade (1996), Holy Smoke (1999), Walk the Talk (2000), Lantana (2001) and Jane Campion's new film Bright Star. She has also executive produced Somersault (2004) and Suburban Mayhem (2006) both of which were selected for Un Certain Regard at Cannes and the soon to be released feature film debut for director Leon Ford and producer Nicole O’Donohue. Griff the Invisible.
Her films have won many awards including co-recipient of the Palme d’or at Cannes (The Piano, 1993), 3 Academy Awards® (The Piano, 1994), Camera d’Or at Cannes (Love Serenade 1996), over 35 Australian Film Institute Awards, and have had numerous screenings and honours across the globe at the world’s top film festivals including Venice, Toronto, Berlin and Cannes.
Jan received the Nova Award from the Producer’s Guild of America for Most Promising Theatrical Motion Picture Producer in 1994. She has been honoured for her outstanding contribution to the Australian film industry as the recipient of many lifetime achievement awards including the Order of Australia in 2004.