Question 1

True or false: The main character in The Piano, Ada McGrath, does not speak for the entire film.

Accepted Answer

True. Ada is a mute woman who communicates through sign language and her piano; she never speaks aloud in the film.

Question 2

True or false: The Piano was written and directed by Jane Campion.

Accepted Answer

True. Jane Campion both wrote the screenplay and directed The Piano, a fact well-documented in her biography and film credits.

Question 3

True or false: The Piano was filmed entirely on location in Australia.

Accepted Answer

False. The Piano was filmed in New Zealand, not Australia. The coastal scenes were shot on the North Island's wild beaches.

Question 4

True or false: The Piano won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1994.

Accepted Answer

False. The Piano was nominated for Best Picture but lost to Schindler's List. It did win three Oscars: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay.

Question 5

True or false: Anna Paquin was 11 years old when she won an Academy Award for her role in The Piano.

Accepted Answer

True. Anna Paquin won Best Supporting Actress at age 11 for The Piano, becoming the second youngest Oscar winner in history.

Question 6

True or false: The Piano won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

Accepted Answer

True. The Piano won the Palme d'Or in 1993, making Jane Campion the first female director to receive the top prize at Cannes.

Question 7

True or false: The Piano is based on a true story about a mute woman in 19th-century New Zealand.

Accepted Answer

False. The Piano is a fictional story written by Jane Campion. It is not based on any specific real person or event.

Question 8

True or false: The Piano's musical score was composed by director Jane Campion.

Accepted Answer

False. The score for The Piano was composed by Michael Nyman, not Jane Campion. Campion is a director and writer, not a composer.

The Piano Trivia Questions