Her first feature film credit was the original screenplay for High Tide (1987), directed by Gillian Armstrong and starring Judy Davis.
[5] Jones continued to work in television for a time and she that: "you learn a great deal writing for soaps".
[6] Following her success, Jane Campion hired Jones for a television miniseries that turned into the film An Angel at My Table, an adaptation of Janet Frame's autobiography.
[6] Her films are generally about women and feature strong female characters,[7] and she is now considered one of the world’s best movie adapters.
Jones states that Armstrong and Levy "regarded me as very much part of the process and when some minutes had to be cut out, I was asked about it".