An electively mute Scotswoman named Ada McGrath is sold by her father into marriage to a New Zealand frontiersman named Alisdair Stewart, bringing her young daughter Flora with her. Ada has not spoken a word since she was six and no one, including herself, knows why. She expresses herself through her piano playing and through sign language, for which her daughter, in parent-child role reversal, has served as her interpreter. Ada, Flora, and their belongings, including a hand crafted piano, are deposited on a New Zealand beach by a ship's crew. The following day, Alisdair arrives with a Māori crew and his friend, Baines, a fellow forester and retired sailor who has adopted many of the Māori customs. Alisdair tells Ada that there is no room in his small house for the piano and abandons the piano on the beach. Ada, in turn, is cold to him and is determined to be reunited with her piano. Unable to communicate with Alisdair, Ada and Flora visit Baines with a note asking to be taken to the piano. As a trade-off Alisdaire agrees to Baines taking the piano and lessons from his wife. What ensues is becomes a powerful emotional and sensual tussle between all three adults.
About the Director
Jane Campion
Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director. She is the second of seven women ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and the first female filmmaker to receive the Palme d'Or, which she received for the acclaimed film The Piano (1993), for which she also won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Among her other directed films An Angel at My Table and Bright Star are the most highly regarded. Campion was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the second daughter of Edith Campion (née Beverley Georgette Hannah), an actress, writer, and heiress; and Richard M. Campion, a teacher, and theatre and opera director. Her maternal great-grandfather was Robert Hannah, a well-known shoe manufacturer for whom Antrim House was built. Her father came from a family engaged in the Exclusive Brethren Christian evangelical movement. Along with her sister Anna, a year and a half her senior, and brother, Michael, seven years her junior, Campion grew up in the world of New Zealand theatre. Their parents founded the New Zealand Players. Campion initially rejected the idea of a career in the dramatic arts, and graduated instead with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington in 1975.
About Ibis International Film Festival (IIFF)
IIFF returns in 2021 and will showcase the short form talents of university students, local Brisbane and national filmmakers along with a curated collection of feature films screenings from local and international film makers.
In its second year on the UQ calendar, IIFF brings some of the best of international film, and local and student films to Brisbane audiences.
About this year's theme
Women in Motion
This year we are curating a program that spotlights the contributions of women in film. From the pioneers that helped shine the spotlight on female filmmakers, to those that have continued to push the boundaries and advance the art of filmmaking today - we take our hats of to the fabulous women of cinema, both in front of the camera and behind.