Oscar-winning filmmaker Jane Campion, who is presiding over the jury at this year’s Taormina Film Festival, dedicated a great part of her time in Sicily to revisiting her 1993 seminal drama “The Piano.” Accompanied in the jury by the film’s star, Holly Hunter, the New Zealand director spoke to journalists about her memories of making the successful film, from the “unbelievable” support she had from private financiers to the “brilliant” marketing campaign by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.
Asked by Variety about how “The Piano,” a film about a mute woman and her daughter exiled in New Zealand, went from a supposed small, arthouse drama to a major global box office phenomenon — the film grossed $140.2 million worldwide on a $7 million budget — Campion paused and said: “Can I say one thing that’s going to be very disturbing? Harvey Weinstein, as we know, did some horrific things, but he also did some great things for the arts and for getting audiences. He was bold in that way. He loved films. I have to admit, [the marketing strategy] was his vision.”
Weinstein was the head of major distribution company Miramax, which acquired the rights for “The Piano” early in 1993. The exec had an aggressive awards campaign for the drama, which eventually won three Academy Awards, including best original screenplay for Campion.
