Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga I The New Zealand Film Commission congratulates Dame Jane Campion on the latest award recognition for The Power of the Dog.
The BAFTA Awards announced this morning named The Power of the Dog Best Film and awarded Campion the Best Director Award. Dame Jane was unable to attend the ceremony, so the awards were accepted by The Power of the Dog’s star, Benedict Cumberbatch and some of the film's producers.
The film was further lauded today with the film receiving another Best Picture nod at the Critics' Choice Awards. Dame Jane Campion recieved another Best Director Award and the Best Adapted Screenplay Award. The Best Cinematogrpahy Award went to Ari Wegner.
In addition, Campion also took the top prize at the 2022 Directors’ Guild Awards over the weekend. Campion was previously nominated for this award in 1993 for The Piano.
“These awards are well deserved,” said NZFC CEO David Strong. “They are testament to Dame Jane’s singular vision, craft and passion for the art of filmmaking. The film is a spectacular example of just what New Zealand’s screen sector can offer, from extraordinary creative talent, highly-skilled crews and accessible, diverse locations. We congratulate her on these awards and wish her, and the film, the best of luck with its 12 Oscar nominations when the Academy Awards are announced on 27 March.”
Campion's dark Western, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee and New Zealand actress Thomasin McKenzie, was shot on location in New Zealand’s South Island and in Auckland studios. The production provided jobs for over 300 New Zealand crew and a much needed boost to local economies suffering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A predominantly New Zealand crew were headed by experienced and award-winning Kiwis such as Production Designer Grant Major (An Angel at my Table, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Costume Designer Kirsty Cameron (Slow West, Whale Rider) and Hair and Makeup Designer Noriko Watanabe (The Piano, Top of the Lake: China Girl).
Written and directed by Dame Jane Campion and produced by Campion with Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, The Power of the Dog is an official New Zealand – Australia co-production. The film was made with funding from the NZFC, Netflix, BBC Film, and the Government backed New Zealand Screen Production Grant.