Nadia Tass facts for kids

Nadia Tass, born around 1959, is a talented Australian director and producer. She works in both film and theatre. Nadia often creates movies with her husband, David Parker. They run their own company called Cascade Films. Nadia is well-known for her films like Malcolm (1986) and The Big Steal (1990). She has also directed many plays in Australia and other countries.

Nadia Tass's Early Life and Learning

Nadia Tassopoulos was born in a village called Lofoi in northern Greece. When she was eight, in 1966, she moved to Melbourne, Australia, with her parents. Her family name was originally Tassopoulos. She also has some Russian family background.

Nadia got her first acting job at age 14. It was in a TV police show called Division 4.

She studied psychology at the University of Melbourne. While there, she became very interested in theatre. This included plays made by students at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). After directing some plays, she went to film school. There she learned the technical skills needed to make movies. In the 1980s, she also studied a special acting method in Yugoslavia. Later, she attended another film school in New York City.

Nadia Tass's Career Journey

Acting Roles

Nadia Tass started her career as an actress in 1979. She played Tessa Zervos in the first season of the TV drama Prisoner. She came back to the show in 1983 to play a lawyer. Around the same time, she began directing plays in Melbourne. Nadia loves working with actors. She says her own acting experience helps her a lot when she directs.

Making Movies

Nadia Tass has made many films with her husband, David Parker. He often writes, helps produce, and films her movies. They started their company, Cascade Films, in 1983. They work together to produce their films.

Her first big movie as a director was Malcolm. She wrote it with David Parker. At first, no one in Australia wanted to distribute the film. So, Nadia, David, and their friend Tim White took it to the United States. There, many companies wanted to buy it! Malcolm was released in 1986. It was a huge success with critics and at the box office. The film won 21 international awards and 8 Australian Film Institute Awards. These included awards for Best Film and Best Director.

In 1988, Nadia directed and co-produced the comedy Rikky and Pete. This film was also very popular around the world. The next year, she directed and produced The Big Steal (released in 1990). It won three AFI Awards and was nominated for six more. It was another international hit.

Other movies directed by Nadia include Mr. Reliable (1996), which won three AFI Awards. She also directed Amy (1997). This movie starred Rachel Griffiths and Ben Mendelsohn. Amy won 23 international awards.

Her only movie directed in the United States for cinemas was Pure Luck. It was made for Universal Pictures and starred Danny Glover and Martin Short. It came out in August 1991.

In 1993, she produced a TV miniseries called Stark. It was based on a popular book by Ben Elton. A movie version was also released.

From the 2000s, Nadia directed several TV movies in the US. These include The Miracle Worker (2000) and Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story (2001). She also directed Undercover Christmas (2004) and Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005). Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story was about the famous child actress Shirley Temple. Nadia has directed films and TV shows for big companies like the BBC, CBS, Disney, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros.

In 2012, she directed Fatal Honeymoon, a TV movie for the Lifetime channel. It starred Harvey Keitel.

Matching Jack (2010) is a film about a mother looking for a donor for her son who has leukaemia. David Parker filmed it. It first showed at the Melbourne International Film Festival in July 2010.

Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story (2021) is a documentary about the Russian actor Oleg Vidov. He moved to the US in 1985 after facing problems in Russia. The film is narrated by actor Brian Cox. It includes interviews and old footage with famous people like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film first showed at the Moscow International Film Festival in April 2021. Nadia was friends with Oleg Vidov. She felt a connection to Russian culture because of her own family background. She wanted to show the good parts of that culture. The film was shown on SBS TV in Australia from June 2021.

Nadia has talked about making films with her husband:

What it takes is a lot of knowledge and fastidiousness and dedication, and working with actors who are equally as dedicated… I just needed to make sure to lay out what we're gonna do, and then together we just create, and therein lies the joy.

Directing Plays

Nadia Tass has a long history of directing successful plays. She has directed many different types of shows. These include both old and new plays at various theatres in Melbourne. Some of her early works include The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth. She also directed plays by ancient Greek writers like Euripides and Aristophanes. Later, she directed This Effing Lady (2021) and Wicked Sisters (2020).

In 2002, Nadia directed a musical play called The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It was based on the book by C. S. Lewis. David Parker wrote the script. This musical toured all over Australia and got good reviews. Nadia was nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Musical.

In 2016, Nadia directed e-baby by Jane Cafarella for its first show in Sydney.

Also in 2016, she directed Disgraced for the Melbourne Theatre Company. She also directed Extinction and The Book Club. In 2016, she directed a version of Uncle Vanya by Chekhov. David Parker did the stage lighting for this play.

In 2018, Nadia directed Sorting Out Rachel by David Williamson. She also directed ... and Other Disturbances by Marisa Smith in the US. And she directed Ear to the Edge of Time in Sydney.

She directed Fern Hill in 2018 and 2019 in Philadelphia and New York City.

In 2019, she directed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. This play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Other Important Roles

Nadia Tass has given special classes around the world to teach about filmmaking. She often teaches at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. She is also a professor at Deakin University. She has taught at many universities in China.

She has been a member of the board for the Australian Directors' Guild. She is also part of several other groups for film and TV professionals. These include the Directors Guild of America and the Australian Film Institute. She also supports the ATOM Awards.

Nadia has been a judge for many film festivals, including:

• Hawaii International Film Festival (1988)
• St Tropez Film Festival (head of jury 2008)
• Pune International Film Festival (head of jury 2012)
• Cinefest Oz (jury chair 2021)

Awards and Recognition

Nadia Tass's films have won over 70 international awards. They have also received 23 nominations for Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards, winning nine. These wins include Best Film and Best Director. Her award-winning films include Malcolm (1986), Amy (1997), The Miracle Worker (2000), and Matching Jack (2010).

In theatre, her musical The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2003) was nominated for Best Direction of a Musical at the Helpmann Awards.

In 2017, The Big Steal was shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It was part of a special section called Pioneering Women. This section celebrated Australian women filmmakers from the 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1986, Nadia Tass was the second female director to win the AFI Award for Best Director for Malcolm. The first was Gillian Armstrong in 1979.

In 2024, Pure Luck was voted number 2 in IGN's "Top 10 Buddy Cop Movies of All Time".

Personal Awards

Nadia has also received several special awards for her own work:

• Film Victoria Screen Leader Award (2014)
• Byron Kennedy Award, with David Parker, for their independent filmmaking (1986)
• Australian Hellenic Award for Excellence (1987)
• Hellenic Award for the Arts (1999)

Film Showcases

Nadia Tass's films have been shown in special collections around the world. These events look back at all her film work. Some places where this has happened include:

• American Cinematheque in Los Angeles (2012), which then traveled across the US
• New Delhi, India (1997)
• Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa (1994)
• Moscow Film Festival, Russia (1990)
• Hawaii International Film Festival

Nadia Tass's Filmography (as director)

Feature Films

Films for Television

• The Miracle Worker (2000)
• Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story (2001)
• Undercover Christmas (2003)
• Custody (2007)

Other Works

• Stark (TV miniseries 1993)
• Isolation Restaurant (short film, 2020)

Nadia Tass's Theatre Work

Plays directed by Nadia Tass include:

• This Effing Lady by Maureen Sherlock (2021)
• Wicked Sisters by Alma De Groen (2020)
• Fern Hill by Michael Tucker (2018 & 2019)
• Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Heather McDonald (2019)
• Ear To The Edge Of Time by Alana Valentine (2018)
• ... and Other Disturbances by Marisa Smith (2018)
• Sorting Out Rachel by David Williamson (2018)
• Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Annie Baker (2016)
• e-baby by Jane Cafarella (2016)
• Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar (2016)
• Extinction by Hannie Rayson (2016)
• The Book Club by Roger Hall (2016)
• The Flick by Annie Baker (2014)
• The Other Place by Sharr White (2013)
• Promises, Promises by Neil Simon (2012)