Nadia Tass

Nadia Tass (born Tassopoulou or Tassopoulos; ), is an Australian theatre and film director and film producer. She mostly makes films with her writer-producer husband David Parker, through their production company Cascade Films. Tass is known for the films Malcolm and The Big Steal (1990), as well as an extensive body of work in the theatre, both in Australia and internationally.

Early life and education Nadia Tassopoulou Her original surname is Tassopoulos. She has some Russian heritage. playing Tessa Zervos, returning in 1983 to play a solicitor. She started directing works in Melbourne theatres around the same time. They established Cascade Films in 1983, and co-produce their films. Released in 1986, the film proved to be a critically acclaimed and box-office hit, Filmed by Parker, the film stars Ashley Rose Orr as Temple, Emily Anne Hart as teen Shirley, Connie Britton, Colin Friels, and Hinton Battle. It was filmed in Port Melbourne. She directed Fatal Honeymoon, a 2012 telemovie, produced by US cable channel Lifetime, starring Harvey Keitel.

Matching Jack, about a mother's search for a potential donor for her son with leukaemia, was shot by Parker.

Oleg: The Oleg Vidov Story (2021), written by Cory Taylor, Gregor Zupanc, and Vidov, is a feature documentary about the Russian actor and filmmaker Oleg Vidov ("the Russian Robert Redford" ), who defected from the USSR and went to the US and its Australian premiere at Cinefest OZ in Perth in August 2021. Tass had been friends with Vidov in the US, and owing to her Slavic heritage felt some connection to Russian culture, and both wanted to show some of the richness of that culture, but also the "criminals" who led the USSR. The film was screened on SBS TV and streamed on SBS On Demand from June 2021.

Theatre direction 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.

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),

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.

Other roles 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.

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".

Personal awards 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) 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