Holly Hunter learned to play the piano when she was nine years old and played most of the piano sequences herself.
Despite winning an Oscar at a young age, Anna Paquin admitted on Late Show with David Letterman (1993) in 2009 that she had only recently watched the film for the first time at the time of the interview. She was not allowed to watch the film at the time of its release because of its sexual content, being eleven years old at the time.
Dame Jane Campion became the first woman to win the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival with this film, though she was unable to receive the award in person, as she was due to give birth.
Holly Hunter received three on-screen credits for the film, playing the character of Ada, playing the piano herself, and being a British sign language interpreter for Anna Paquin.
Holly Hunter won fourteen awards of the fifteen nominations she received for her role in this movie.