Film producer.
Jan Chapman studied English and Fine Arts at university in the late 1960s. It was during this period that she not only met her first husband, filmmaker Phillip Noyce (q.v.), but also began working on small, independent films as part of the Sydney Filmmakers Co-op. In the early 1970s she directed short fiction films and documentaries and later worked in the Education department of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Among the productions she produced during her association with the ABC the teledrama Displaced Persons (q.v., 1984), Sweet and Sour (1984), Two Friends (1986), The Last Resort (1988), and Come in Spinner (1990). She also later produced Naked: Stories of Men (1996) for the ABC.
In the early 1990s Chapman moved primarily into feature film production, beginning with The Last Days of Chez Nous (1991). Her best known films include: The Piano (q.v., 1993), Holy Smoke (1999), Lantana (2001) and Somersualt (2004)
Chapman's awards and nominations include four Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards - Best Telefeature (Two Friends), Best Televison Mini Series (Come in Spinner), Best Film The Piano and Lantana, and Best Telefeature or Mini Series (The Silence, 2006). The Last Days of Chez Nous was also nominated for an AFI Best Film award. Chapman's international achievements include being nominated for Best Film awards for The Piano by the British Arts, Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars). Her other achievments include an Inside Film (IF) award for Best Feature (Lantana) and Producers Guild of America (PGA) Nova Award for Most Promising Producer (The Piano). Chapman is also the recipient of the 1997 Raymond Longford Award and the 2002 Chauvel Award (Brisbane International Film Festival).
Source: Senses of Cinema website (Sighted 21/04/10)
