Nadia Tass

Tass is known for the films Malcolm (1986) and The Big Steal (1990), as well as an extensive body of work in the theatre, both in Australia and internationally.

• Name — Nadia Tass • Birth Name — Nadia Tassopoulos • Born — c. 1959 • Birthplace — Lofoi, Florina, Macedonia, Greece • Organization — Cascade Films • Occupation — Film director, theatre director, and film producer • Years Active — 1979–present • Spouse — David Parker • Known for — Filmmaking with David Parker Theatre direction • Notable Works — Malcolm (1986) The Big Steal (1990)

Nadia Tassopoulou (or Tassopoulos) was born in the village of Lofoi, near Florina, in Macedonia, northern Greece. Aged eight, she moved with her parents to Melbourne, Australia, in 1966. Her original surname is Tassopoulos. She has some Russian heritage. She had her first acting role aged 14, in the police drama series Division 4. Tass studied psychology at the University of Melbourne, and while there became interested in theatre, including works by students at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). After doing some theatre directing, she went to film school to learn technical aspects of filmmaking. In the 1980s she took a course in the Stanislavski method of acting, in Yugoslavia, and also later attended a film school in New York City.

Tass started her career acting in the first season of the television drama series Prisoner in 1979, playing Tessa Zervos, returning in 1983 to play a solicitor. She started directing works in Melbourne theatres around the same time. She has said that she loves working with actors, and her acting experience and training has informed her directing style.

Tass has an extensive history of successful theatre direction with a diverse range of works, including both classical and contemporary theatre at La Mama, the Pram Factory, Playbox, the Melbourne Theatre Company, and the Open Stage Theatre at the University of Melbourne. 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). Tass' 2002 musical theatre production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, an adaptation of C.S. Lewis' novel with the script written by Parker, toured Australia. It was well-reviewed, and garnered her a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical. In 2016, Tass directed the Ensemble Theatre production of Jane Cafarella's e-baby for its Sydney premiere. In 2016 Tass directed Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar for the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), Extinction by Hannie Rayson for Red Stitch/GPAC, and The Book Club for AKA in London and Melbourne. Also in 2016, she directed an adaptation by Annie Baker of Uncle Vanya by Chekhov, for Red Stitch. Parker did the stage lighting for the production. 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, US; and Ear to the Edge of Time by Alana Valentine at The Seymour Centre in Sydney. She directed Fern Hill by Michael Tucker for New Jersey Rep in 2018 and 2019 in Philadelphia and New York City. Also in 2019, she directed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Heather McDonald, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, for Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C.

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, and has taught at Beijing Normal University, Yunnan University, Wuhan University, Chongqing University, and Beijing Film Academy. She has been a member of the board of the Australian Directors' Guild, and is a member of several professional associations, including the Directors Guild of America; the Screen Producers Association of Australia; the Australian Film Institute; and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). She is also patron of the ATOM Awards. Tass has been appointed to the juries of many film festival juries, including: • Hawaii International Film Festival – for judging of main awards 1988 • St Tropez Film Festival – head of jury 2008 • Asian Festival of First Films – 2008 • Pune International Film Festival – head of jury 2012 • Directors Guild of America (DGA) – documentary jury 2021 • Cinefest Oz – jury chair 2021 • AACTA – International chapter juror annually

Tass has had the breadth of her film work presented internationally as retrospective events, including: • American Cinematheque in Los Angeles (2012), which travelled across the US • New Delhi, India (1997) • Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa (1994) • Moscow Film Festival, Russia (1990) • Hawaii International Film Festival

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

Theatrical productions directed by Tass include: • This Effing Lady by Maureen Sherlock (2021) AKA, Brunswick Ballroom • Wicked Sisters by Alma De Groen (2020) Griffin Theatre Company • Fern Hill by Michael Tucker for New Jersey Rep (2018 & 2019) • Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Heather McDonald (2019) Signature Theatre • Ear To The Edge Of Time by Alana Valentine (2018) • Sex and Other Disturbances by Marisa Smith (2018) Portland Stage Company • Sorting Out Rachel by David Williamson (2018) Ensemble Theatre, Sydney • Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Annie Baker (2016) Red Stitch Actors Theatre • e-baby by Jane Cafarella (2016) Ensemble Theatre • Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar (2016) Melbourne Theatre Company • Extinction by Hannie Rayson (2016) GPAC, Red Stitch Actors Theatre • The Book Club by Roger Hall (2016) AKA, Melbourne & London productions • The Flick by Annie Baker (2014) Red Stitch Actors Theatre • The Other Place by Sharr White (2013) Melbourne Theatre Company • Promises, Promises by Neil Simon (2012) The Production Company

• Malcolm (1986) • Rikky and Pete (1988) • The Big Steal (1990) • Pure Luck (1991) • Stark (1993) (feature cut) • Mr. Reliable (1996) • Amy (1997) • Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004) • Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005) • Matching Jack (2010) • Fatal Honeymoon (2012) • Lea to the Rescue (2016) • Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story (2021)

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

Tass' films have earned over 70 international awards and 23 Australian Film Institute (AFI) nominations, while garnering nine wins including Best Film and Best Director. Her films that have awards and nominations include, most notably, Malcolm (1986); Amy (1997); The Miracle Worker (2000); and Matching Jack (2010). In theatre, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2003) earned a nomination for Best Direction of a Musical in the Helpmann Awards. In 2017, The Big Steal was screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival as part of Pioneering Women, a section dedicated to Australian women filmmakers of the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1986 Tass was the second female director, after Gillian Armstrong in 1979, to win the AFI Award for Best Director (for Malcolm). In 2024, Pure Luck was voted no. 2 in IGN's "Top 10 Buddy Cop Movies of All Time".

She has also been honoured with several personal awards, including: • Film Victoria Screen Leader Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Screen Industry (2014) • Byron Kennedy Award, with David Parker, "for their fiercely independent approach to filmmaking" (1986) • Australian Hellenic Award for Excellence (1987) • Hellenic Award for the Arts (1999)