Nancy Savoca (July 23, 1959), is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
screenwriterScreenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made....
, director, and producer. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, she is the daughter of
SicilianSicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily....
and
ArgentineArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
immigrants Calogero Savoca and Maria Elvira Savoca. Married to Richard Guay, also a writer and producer, they have three children: two sons and a daughter.
Life and work
After completing her courses at Queens College, Flushing, New York, Savoca went on to graduate in 1982 from
New York University’sNew York University is a private, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
film schoolA film school is a generic term for any educational institution dedicated to teaching moviemaking, including film production, theory, and writing for the screen. Usually hands on technical training is incorporated as part of the curriculum, such as learning how to use cameras, light meters and...
, the
Tisch School of the ArtsTisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University .The school was founded in 1965. It has 2,700 undergraduates and 500 graduate students...
. While there she received the Haig P. Manoogian Award for overall excellence for her short films
Renata and
Bad Timing. Around this time she met Rich Guay, then an accounting student working at an Italian deli near her home. They were married in 1980. Once out of film school she worked as a storyboard artist and assistant editor on an independent film. But her first real hands-on professional experience was as a production assistant to
John SaylesJohn Thomas Sayles is an American independent film director and screenwriter who frequently plays small roles in his own and other indie films.-Early life:...
on his film:
The Brother From Another Planet and as an assistant auditor for
Jonathan DemmeRobert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter.-Personal life:Demme was born in Baldwin, New York, the son of Dorothy Demme and a public relations executive father. Demme has three children: Ramona, Brooklyn, Josephine. He is a graduate of the University of Florida. He...
on two of his films:
Something Wild (1986), and
Married to the MobMarried to the Mob is a 1988 comedy film. It was directed by Jonathan Demme and starred Matthew Modine, Alec Baldwin, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joan Cusack, and Mercedes Ruehl.-Plot:An FBI agent, Mike Downey, is trying to infiltrate a mafia family...
(1988).
In 1989, her very first full length movie, the privately funded
True LoveTrue Love is a 1989 comedy film directed by Nancy Savoca. An unflinching look at the realities of love and marriage which offers no "happily ever after" ending, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival.-Selected cast:...
about Italian-American marriage rituals in the Bronx won the Grand Jury Prize at the
Sundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in the state of Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the U.S. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as the Sundance Resort, the festival is the premier...
held in
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
each year. The movie, starring
Annabella SciorraAnnabella Sciorra is an American film, television, and stage actress. Sciorra received an Independent Spirit Award nomination as best female lead for the 1989 film True Love, and came to widespread attention in her co-lead role in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever...
and
Ron EldardRonald Jason Eldard is an American film, television and stage actor known for his understated character roles on both the screen and the stage.-Early life:...
, both making their film debuts (and co-starring a number of familiar faces from
The SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created and produced by David Chase. It premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on January 10, 1999 and ended its original run of six seasons and 86 episodes on June 10, 2007. The show has also been broadcast on A&E in...
including
Aida TurturroAida Turturro is an American actress probably best known for playing Janice Soprano, sister of New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, on the HBO TV series The Sopranos.-Career:...
and
Vincent PastoreVincent Pastore is an American actor, often cast as a mobster and best known for the role of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos.-Early life:...
), was hailed as one of the best films of the year by both
Janet MaslinJanet Maslin is an American journalist. She is best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times.-Personal:Maslin graduated from the University of Rochester in 1970, with a B.A. degree and a major in mathematics . She was once married to record producer Jon Landau...
and
Vincent CanbyVincent Canby was an American film critic.Canby was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Katharine Anne and Lloyd Canby. He became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there...
of the New York Times. Savoca was nominated for a Spirit Award as Best Director. MGM/UA snapped up the distribution rights and
RCARCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
released the soundtrack, seeing two of the songs reach the Top 40 hits on the Billboard charts.
Since then she has written, directed and produced movies for the big screen, for television, has written or polished scripts for other directors, and has directed a number of episodes in ongoing television series. Her most famous work for television was co-writing all three segments of the
Demi MooreDemi Guynes Kutcher, professionally known as Demi Moore is an American actress.After minor roles in film, and a role in the television drama series, General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
produced
If These Walls Could TalkThe women's experiences in each vignette are designed to demonstrate the popular views of society on the issue in each of the given decades. The film became a surprise success, and was HBO's highest rated movie ever...
, a mini-series about
abortionAn abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced, in humans and other species...
rights, and directing the first two segments. The second segment starred
Sissy SpacekMary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek is an American actress and singer. Her screen debut was in the 1972 film Prime Cut co-starring Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman....
trying to decide in the mid-70’s whether her marriage could stand the strain of another child.
CherCher is an American pop singer-songwriter, actor, director and record producer. She has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards and a People's Choice Award for her work in film, music and television.Cher began her career at the age of seventeen and came to...
starred in and directed the third segment. In it she played a modern
Planned ParenthoodPlanned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA provides reproductive health and maternal and child health services. Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Inc. ...
doctor, the victim of a pro-life fanatic.
In 1998, Savoca was feted as a "New York trailblazer" at the New York Women's Film Festival. Savoca was also honored by the
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
chapter of the advocacy organization, Woman in Film and Television (WIFT). Her film,
True Love was called one of the "50 Greatest Independent Films of All-Time" by
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
.
Two of Savoca's films,
Household Saints and
True Love, are listed in
The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (
St. Martin's GriffinSt. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the iconic Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
.
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html?ex=1207022400&en=5cff89208db500fb&ei=5070&emc=eta
Nancy Savoca’s work has also been the subject of a retrospective by The
American Museum of the Moving ImageThe Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in Astoria, Queens on the former site of the Kaufman Astoria Studios. The museum originally opened in 1977 as the Astoria Motion Picture and Television Center Foundation and re-opened in 1988 as the American Museum of the Moving Image...
.
An artist’s vision
Savoca works most often as an independent filmmaker although she is no stranger to Hollywood. Like the innovative
John CassavetesJohn Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He appeared in many Hollywood films. He is most notable as an influential pioneer of independent film...
, she allows her actors to find their own way through to a character. Also like Cassavetes, although her films are entirely scripted (often in partnership with her husband, Rich Guay), Savoca is willing to change a line or a scene at a moment’s notice if it feels right. And unlike most directors, she will use people in her films that have either only acted on stage, or never acted at all. Making a movie is personal. As well as devoting perhaps years to one project, it can be emotionally draining. Asked to direct
Emma ThompsonEmma Thompson is an Academy Award-winning British actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She is also a patron of the Refugee Council.- Early life :...
in
WitWit is a 2001 American television movie directed by Mike Nichols. The teleplay by Nichols and Emma Thompson is based on the 1998 play of the same title by Margaret Edson....
, Savoca declined since the plot of a woman dying from cancer was too close to events in her own life.
Savoca’s films reflect an ongoing concern with the feminine, albeit the quirky feminine. With a sense of nothing being “directed” or manipulated, she evokes so-called “ordinary” life on its deepest emotional level, yet with perfect artistic control. In 1991’s
DogfightDogfight is a film set in San Francisco, California, during the Vietnam War , stars River Phoenix and Lili Taylor and was directed by Nancy Savoca.-Premise:...
, starring
River PhoenixRiver Jude Phoenix was an American film actor. He was listed on John Willis's Screen World, Vol. 38 as one of twelve "promising new actors of 1986," and was hailed as highly talented by such critics as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. He was also well known for his animal rights activism...
and
Lili TaylorLili Anne Taylor is an American actress.-Personal life:Taylor, the fifth of six children, was born in Glencoe, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Marie, a professional babysitter, and Park Taylor, a folk artist and hardware store operator...
, she gives us a touching portrait of feminine courage and masculine absolution. This film—about a Marine on the eve of leaving for the new war in
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
finding and bringing the ugliest girl he can scrape up to a dreadful contest called a “dogfight”—was not well attended, but was critically acclaimed. The New York Times again praised Savoca’s work. As an interesting aside,
Brendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American actor of stage and screen. He has starred in many major Hollywood films, including The Mummy film series, Crash, Dudley Do-Right, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, George of the Jungle and Journey to the Center of the Earth.-Early life:Fraser was born in...
made his first appearance in "the movies" as a cameo in Savoca's
Dogfight,
In 1993’s
Household SaintsHousehold Saints is a 1993 film starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lili Taylor. It was based on the novel by Francine Prose and directed by Nancy Savoca...
, again teaming up with Lili Taylor, Savoca moved beyond her interest in “ordinary people” to one extraordinary person who steps over the boundaries of routine religion into the realm of the luminously spiritual.
Tracey UllmanTracey Ullman is an award-winning British stage and television actor, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author with American citizenship....
and
Vincent D'OnofrioVincent Phillip D'Onofrio is an American actor and film producer. He first gained attention for his role as "Private Leonard 'Gomer Pyle' Lawrence" in Full Metal Jacket, and more currently for his role as Detective Robert Goren in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Early life:D'Onofrio was born in the...
play the parents of Lili Taylor. Being Italian, they are also Roman Catholic. Professing Catholicism means certain things, but it seldom means housing a saint. Savoca’s script was lovingly crafted from the book by
Francine ProseFrancine Prose is an American writer. Since March 2007 she has been the president of PEN American Center. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1968 and received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1991...
. With Jonathan Demme as the executive producer and released by Fine Line, the film was on the "Best Films" list of over twenty national critics and was nominated for a Spirit Award for Best Screenplay by Savoca and Guay. Lili Taylor won a Spirit for Best Female Performance.
Working with Oscar nominees
Rosie PerezRosa María "Rosie" Pérez is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director, and community activist.-Early life:...
,
Marianne Jean-BaptisteMarianne Raigipcien Jean-Baptiste is an English actress.Jean-Baptiste was born in London, England, to Antiguan and St. Lucian parentage. She was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and performed at the Royal National Theatre...
, and
Tony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are for Broadway productions and...
winner,
Patti LuponePatti LuPone is an American singer and actress, perhaps best known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 musical Evita, and Rose in "Gypsy", and in her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les Misérables.-Personal life:LuPone was...
, Savoca wrote and directed
The 24-Hour Woman about the myth of the “superwoman,” able to juggle a marriage, pregnancy, and a high profile job. Perez plays the producer of a local TV show for women in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
who lives her pregnancy, child-birth, and new baby very publicly “over the air.” Also appearing was the up-and-coming
Diego SerranoDiego Serrano is an American actor who was born in Quito, Ecuador, on February 5, 1973. He has appeared on The Young and the Restless as Diego Guittierez and the long-running, defunct soap opera, Another World as Tomas Rivera...
as "Eddie Diaz." This movie was premiered at Sundance in 1999 and Savoca was nominated for an ALMA (American Latin Media Arts) award for Outstanding Director.
Moving into television, Savoca directed, as mentioned, the first two segments of
If These Walls Could Talk. The first segment, a single woman seeking a backstreet abortion in the 1950’s played by Demi Moore, caught Moore at perhaps her finest moment as an actress. In this section, Savoca also worked with the highly respected actresses
Shirley KnightShirley Enola Knight is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in 1960 for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and in 1962 for Sweet Bird of Youth.-Career:Knight's feature films include Sidney Lumet's The...
and
CCH PounderCarol Christine Hilaria Pounder , known professionally as C. C. H. Pounder , is a Guyanese-American film and television actress. She has appeared in numerous films, made-for-television films, television miniseries and plays, and has made guest appearances on notable television shows...
. It was then the highest rated original movie in HBO history. It played at several international film festivals and received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for best television drama and for Ms. Moore's performance. Because of “Walls,” Savoca shared a Lucy Award from "Women In Film" with the other creators for “changing the face of television.”
Released in 2003, she directed
Reno: Rebel Without a Pause: Unrestrained Reflections on September 11th, the performance artist Reno’s raw, cynical and furiously funny rant about the 9/11 attack on the
World Trade CenterThe World Trade Center was a complex in Lower Manhattan in New York City whose seven buildings were destroyed in 2001 in the September 11 terrorist attacks...
and
The PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself....
. This film opened at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11th, 2002. The city of Florence, Italy awarded this film the Prize for Peace and Liberty.
2005 saw the release of
Dirt starring Julieta Ortiz, a stage actress making her first appearance in a motion picture. Dirt, which premiered on Showtime, explores the life of Dolores, an illegal immigrant from
El SalvadorEl Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as does Nicaragua further south. It has a population of approximately 5.7 million people as of 2009 on...
who can only find work “under the table.” Constantly terrified she will be deported as she cleans American houses, she dreams of the day she can go back to a home of her own. For this film, the
Writers Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers around New York City....
nominated Savoca and Guay for a WGA for Best Longform Teleplay in 2006. Ortiz won Best Actress in New York's Le Cinema Fe and Savoca won Best Director at Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.
Latest work
As of 2009, Savoca and Guay are shooting a documentary on
Gato BarbieriLeandro Barbieri better known as Gato Barbieri is an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and from his latin jazz recordings in the 1970s.-Biography:Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music...
, an Argentinian jazz saxophonist. They are also currently working towards the filming of
Ki Longfellow’sKi Longfellow is an American novelist, playwright, theatrical producer, theater director and entrepreneur. In Britain, as the widow of Vivian Stanshall, she is well known as the guardian of his artistic heritage, but elsewhere she is best known for her own work, especially the 2005 novel The...
novel
The Secret Magdalene in which Savoca is again the screenwriter and director, while Guay is producing.
Concerned about the 2008 presidential election, Savoca and Reno made a short film for
YouTubeYouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google...
to encourage everyone to vote. (See external links for url.)
As a Director
- 1982 - Renata (short film)
- 1982 – Bad Timing (short film), World Northal
- 1989 – True Love
True Love is a 1989 comedy film directed by Nancy Savoca. An unflinching look at the realities of love and marriage which offers no "happily ever after" ending, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival.-Selected cast:...
, Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., or MGM, is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B...
/United ArtistsUnited Artists Entertainment LLC is an American film studio. The current United Artists was formed in November 2006 under a partnership between producer/actor Tom Cruise and his production partner, Paula Wagner, and Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Studios Inc., an MGM company...
- 1991 – Dogfight
Dogfight is a film set in San Francisco, California, during the Vietnam War , stars River Phoenix and Lili Taylor and was directed by Nancy Savoca.-Premise:...
, Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
- 1993 – Household Saints
Household Saints is a 1993 film starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lili Taylor. It was based on the novel by Francine Prose and directed by Nancy Savoca...
, Fine Line
- 1999 – The 24-Hour Woman, Artisan Entertainment/Shooting Gallery
- 2003 - Reno: Rebel without a Pause (documentary; she is also executive producer), Seventh Art Releasing
- 2007 – Gato Barbieri
Leandro Barbieri better known as Gato Barbieri is an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and from his latin jazz recordings in the 1970s.-Biography:Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music...
(documentary in production)
- 2008 – The Secret Magdalene
The Secret Magdalene, American novelist and screenwriter Ki Longfellow's third book, was first published in March 2005 by a small Vermont publishing company called Eio Books...
(pre-production)
Television Director
- 1995 – Chapter Five, Murder One
Murder One is a television series first aired on the ABC network in the United States in 1995. In the United Kingdom it appeared on Sky One during the first half of 1996...
, ABC
- 1996 – If These Walls Could Talk
The women's experiences in each vignette are designed to demonstrate the popular views of society on the issue in each of the given decades. The film became a surprise success, and was HBO's highest rated movie ever...
, (miniseries)
- 2000 - Know Thyself, Third Watch
Third Watch is an NBC television drama set in New York City that ran from September 23, 1999 to May 6, 2005.-Premise:The series followed the exploits of a group of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics in the fictional 55th Precinct and Fire Station 55 whose shifts fell between 3 p.m...
, NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
- 2001 - Anywhere, Anytime, The Mind of the Married Man
The Mind of the Married Man is a television series that ran on the HBO network for two seasons consisting of twenty episodes between September 2001 and November 2002. The story attempts to focus on the challenges of modern-day married life from a male perspective.The show drew mixed reviews from...
, HBO
- 2003 – Dirt, Showtime
Showtime is a subscription television brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States...
, 2003
- 1980s - Director for The Great Spacecoaster (syndicated children’s series)
Other
- 1995 – Dark Eyes (pilot), ABC
- 1996 – 1952 and 1974, If These Walls Could Talk, (miniseries), HBO
- 2005 – Dirt, Showtime
As a Writer
- 1982 – Renata (short film, with others)
- 1982 – Bad Timing (short film, with others)
- 1989 – True Love
-Film:* True Love , directed by Nancy Savoca* True Love , starring Maggie Cheung* True Love , an LGBT-related film* True Love, a 2005 film directed by Kyi Soe Tun-Book:* "True Love" , by Isaac Asimov...
(with Richard Guay)
- 1993 – Household Saints (with Richard Guay)
- 1996 – If These Walls Could Talk
The women's experiences in each vignette are designed to demonstrate the popular views of society on the issue in each of the given decades. The film became a surprise success, and was HBO's highest rated movie ever...
(with others)
- 1999 – The 24-Hour Woman (with Richard Guay)
- 2008 – The Secret Magdalene
The Secret Magdalene, American novelist and screenwriter Ki Longfellow's third book, was first published in March 2005 by a small Vermont publishing company called Eio Books...
(pre-production)
External links