Nadia Tass
Nadia Tass is an Australian film director and producer. The recipient of the 2014 Screen Leader Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Screen Industry, Tass is a respected Australian filmmaker. Since 1986 she has directed 13 feature films; her films being responsible for over 70 international awards and twenty-three Australian Film Institute (AFI) nominations, while garnering nine wins including Best Film and Best Director. Known for directing Australian classic films "Malcolm" and "The Big Steal", some of Tass's other feature works include "Rikky and Pete", "Mr Reliable", "Amy", "Matching Jack", "Fatal Honeymoon", and  Oleg. She also directs films and high-end television movies in America. Her first feature in the US was "Pure Luck" starring Danny Glover and Martin Short. Nadia Tass is married to Australian writer, producer, cinematographer David Parker. Early life and education. Tass was born in Florina, Macedonia, northern Greece before moving to live permananetly in Australia. Career. Tass has worked with many well-known and respected actors while directing and producing. These include: Theatrical directing. Tass has an extensive history of theatre direction with a diverse range of works. She has directed improvised theatre, classic plays, contemporary pieces and  musical theatre. Early works include productions of "The Merchant of Venice", "Macbeth", numerous plays by Euripides including "Medea", and by Aristophanes including "Lysistrata", Chekhov's "The Birds", "Three Sisters", and "Blood Wedding" by Federico Garcia Lorca. In later work, Tass directed "This Effing Lady" by Maureen Sherlock at the Brunswick Ballroom (2021) and "Wicked Sisters" by Alma De Groen for Griffin Theatre in Sydney (2020). In 2019, she directed "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by Heather McDonald, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, for Signature Theatre in the Washington DC area, and "Fern Hill" by Michael Tucker at  59E59 Theaters in New York City. Both productions were well received and their seasons booked out and extended. In 2018 Tass directed David Williamson's "Sorting Out Rachel" for Sydney's Ensemble Theatre, followed by Marisa Smith's "Sex and Other Disturbances" for Portland Stage in Maine, USA; "Fern Hill" by Michael Tucker for New Jersey Rep; "Ear to the Edge of Time" by Alana Valentine for Sport for Jove at The Seymour Centre in Sydney. In 2016, Tass directed the Ensemble Theatre production of Jane Cafarella's "e-baby". It was the Sydney premiere of the play. Tass described  the work as "a play for today – the advances in medicine create a new world that allows new possibilities – in "e-baby" we enter that world and explore the raw truth, the unbridled joy and the paradox of surrogacy through a carefully woven story of love, generosity and a newborn child." In 2016 Tass directed "Disgraced" by Ayad Akhtar for the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), "Extinction" by Hannie Rayson for Red Stitch/GPAC, "The Book Club" for AKA in London and Melbourne, and "Uncle Vanya" by Chekhov (adapted by Annie Baker) for Red Stitch. Tass' 2002 production of "The Lion , The Witch and The Wardrobe" toured Australia and garnered her a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical. Tass directs theatre for major theatre companies in Australia, London and various places in the US, including New York and Washington DC. Honours and recognition. Retrospectives. Tass has had the breadth of her film work presented internationally as retrospective events, including: Professional recognition. Masterclasses. Tass has presented masterclasses around the world. She regularly lectures at the Victorian College of the Arts (Melbourne), and at Deakin University, where she is an Adjunct Professor. Tass continues to mentor young directors and actors  from various educational institutions. Film festival juries. Tass has been appointed to many festival juries, such as: