Nadia Tass facts for kids

Nadia Tass (born Tassopoulou or Tassopoulos; c. 1959) is an Australian theatre and film director and film producer. She often makes movies with her husband, David Parker. They work together through their company, Cascade Films. Nadia Tass is well-known for films like Malcolm (1986) and The Big Steal (1990). She has also directed many plays in Australia and around the world.

Nadia Tass's Early Life

Nadia Tass was born in Florina, Macedonia, in northern Greece. Later, she moved to Australia to live permanently.

Her Career in Entertainment

Starting as an Actor

Nadia Tass began her career as an actor. In 1979, she appeared in the first season of the TV show Prisoner. She played a character named Tessa Zervos. She returned to the show in 1983 as a lawyer. Around the same time, she started directing plays in Melbourne theatres. She enjoys working with actors. Her own acting experience helps her understand how to direct them.

Making Movies

Nadia Tass has made many films with her husband and business partner, David Parker. David has written, helped produce, and filmed many of her movies. They started their company, Cascade Films, in 1983. They produce their films together.

Her first major film as a director was Malcolm. She co-wrote this film with David Parker. At first, Australian companies were not interested in the movie. 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 became a big hit with critics and audiences. The film won 21 international awards. It also won 8 Australian Film Institute Awards. These included Best Film and Best Director.

In 1988, with help from United Artists in the US, Nadia directed and co-produced a comedy called Rikky and Pete. This film was also successful worldwide. The next year, she directed and produced The Big Steal. It came out in 1990. This movie won three AFI Awards and was nominated for six more. It was also a big hit internationally.

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

Her first film directed in the United States was Pure Luck. Universal Studios produced it. The movie starred Danny Glover and Martin Short. It was released in August 1991.

In 1993, she produced a TV miniseries called Stark. It was based on a popular book by Ben Elton. This miniseries was later also released as a film.

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 a TV film about Shirley Temple's life. David Parker filmed it. The movie starred Ashley Rose Orr as young Shirley. Nadia Tass has directed films and TV shows for the BBC, CBS, Disney, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros.

She directed Fatal Honeymoon, a TV movie from 2012. It was produced by the US channel Lifetime. This movie starred Harvey Keitel.

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

Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story (2021) is a documentary film. It is about the Russian actor Oleg Vidov. He was called "the Russian Robert Redford". Oleg left the USSR and went to the US in 1985. This happened after the Russian government targeted him. The film is narrated by actor Brian Cox. Costa Ronin plays Oleg in parts that show the past. The movie also has interviews with famous people. It first showed at the Moscow International Film Festival in April 2021. Nadia Tass was friends with Oleg Vidov in the US. She felt a connection to Russian culture because of her background. They both wanted to show the rich culture of Russia. They also wanted to show the "criminals" who led the USSR. The film was shown on SBS TV in Australia.

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 plays. These include both classical and modern works. She has worked at famous theatres like La Mama and the Melbourne Theatre Company.

Some of her early plays include The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth. She also directed plays by ancient Greek writers like Euripides and Aristophanes. Later, Nadia directed This Effing Lady (2021) and Wicked Sisters (2020).

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

In 2016, Nadia directed the play e-baby for its first showing in Sydney. In the same year, she directed Disgraced for the Melbourne Theatre Company. She also directed Extinction and The Book Club. Also in 2016, she directed an adaptation of Uncle Vanya by Chekhov. David Parker designed the stage lighting for this play.

In 2018, Nadia Tass directed Sorting Out Rachel and Ear to the Edge of Time. She also directed Fern Hill in the US in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, she directed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Other Important Roles

Nadia Tass has given special classes (masterclasses) about filmmaking around the world. She often teaches at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. She is also a special 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 is also a supporter of the ATOM Awards.

Nadia Tass has been a judge on many film festival juries. Some of these include:

• Hawaii International Film Festival (1988)
• St Tropez Film Festival (head of jury, 2008)
• Pune International Film Festival (head of jury, 2012)
• Directors Guild of America (DGA) – documentary jury (2021)
• 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. She has won nine of these, including 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 production of 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. This was part of a special section called Pioneering Women. It 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. 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".

Special Honours

Nadia Tass has also received several personal awards:

• Film Victoria Screen Leader Award for outstanding leadership and service (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 events called retrospectives around the world. These events highlight all her film work. Some places where her films have been showcased 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

Films Nadia Tass Directed

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)

Plays Nadia Tass Directed

• 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)
• 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)