BIO

Director NANCY SAVOCA’s first feature film, TRUE LOVE won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was hailed as one of the best films of the year by both Janet Maslin and Vincent Canby of the New York Times. Savoca was also nominated for a Spirit Award as Best Director. The film was named “One of the 50 Greatest Independent Films of All-Time” by Entertainment Weekly. It garnered Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress.

Savoca then directed DOGFIGHT for Warner Bros. starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. The film, set in 1963, tells the story of a young Marine and the girl he takes to an “ugly date” contest.

Her third feature, HOUSEHOLD SAINTS, an adaptation of Francine Prose’s mystical saga of three generations of Italian-American women, starred Tracey Ullman, Lili Taylor and Vincent D’Onofrio Released by Fine Line, the film was on the “Best Films” list of over twenty national critics. The film won Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress, Taylor, and nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Actor, D’Onofrio. Movieline magazine called it “One of the 20 Best Films Directed by A Woman”.

Next was her original frenetic comedy, THE 24 HOUR WOMAN, starring Oscar nominees Rosie Perez and Marianne Jean-Baptiste as well as Tony winner Patti Lupone. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and earned nominations for Perez (Best Actress) and Savoca for Best Director at American Latin Media Arts awards.

Savoca’s work in television includes the HBO production, IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK, a three-part look at abortion rights. She served as co-writer for all three segments and directed the pieces starring Demi Moore and Sissy Spacek. The film was the highest rated original movie in HBO history, received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for best television drama and for Ms. Moore’s performance. As one of the principal creators, Savoca won a Lucy Award from Women In Film for “innovation in television”. She has also directed episodes of THIRD WATCH, MURDER ONE and MIND OF THE MARRIED MAN

Savoca's movie version of the hit one woman show, RENO: Rebel Without A Pause- Unrestrained Reflections on September 11th, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. It was awarded the Prize for Peace & Liberty by the City of Florence, has participated in festivals around the world and was released theatrically in the U.S.

Savoca’s original feature, DIRT, for Showtime won her the Best Director prize at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. Her latest film UNION SQUARE premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and opens theatrically in the summer of 2012.

She is currently working on an adaptation of Ki Longfellow’s THE SECRET MAGDALENE and is prepping THE SÉANCE, an adaptation of the Judith Nixon Lowry novel.

Awards/ Nominations