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IMDbPro

Nancy Savoca

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
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Union Square
Director Nancy Savoca was born in the Bronx, New York of Argentine and Sicilian immigrant parents, She graduated from New York University's film school where she was awarded for her short films. Savoca and her husband, producer Richard Guay, raised private funds to shoot their first film, "True Love", the story of an Italian-American wedding in the Bronx. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival and Savoca was nominated for a Spirit Award as Best Director. The film was distributed by MGM/UA.

In 1991, Savoca 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, Vincent D'Onofrio and Judith Malina. Released by Fine Line, the film was on the "Best Films" list of over twenty national critics. Ms. Taylor won a Spirit Award for Best Female performance and Savoca and Guay received a nomination for Best Screenplay. Next was an 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 in 1999 and earned Ms. Savoca an American Latin Media Arts nomination for Directing.

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 and, as one of the principal creators, won Savoca a Lucy Award from Women In Film for "innovation in television".

"Reno: Rebel Without A Pause- Unrestrained Reflections on September 11th", premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2002. It was awarded the Prize for Peace & Liberty by the city of Florence, Italy and has participated in festivals around the world. It was released theatrically in the U.S. in 2003

"Dirt", a story about immigration and class differences in New York won Savoca Best Director at the LA Latino Festival, Julieta Ortiz Best Actress in New York's La Cinema Fe and premiered on Showtime. It was nominated Best Original Screenplay from the Writer's Guild of America.

"Union Square" starring Mira Sorvino, Tammy Blanchard and Patti LuPone premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released theatrically.

In 2019, Savoca's archives were acquired by the University of Michigan for their Film Mavericks Collection which include the works of Orson Welles, Robert Altman and her mentors, Jonathan Demme and John Sayles.
BornJuly 23, 1959
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BornJuly 23, 1959
IMDbProStarmeter
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  • Awards

Photos

Mira Sorvino, Nancy Savoca, and Tammy Blanchard in Union Square (2011)
Nancy Savoca in The 24 Hour Woman (1999)
Mira Sorvino, Nancy Savoca, Tammy Blanchard, and Mike Doyle at an event for Union Square (2011)
Mira Sorvino, Nancy Savoca, and Tammy Blanchard at an event for Union Square (2011)

Known for

Annabella Sciorra in True Love (1989)
True Love
5.9
  • Director
  • 1989
Dirt (2003)
Dirt
6.6
  • Director
  • 2003
Rosie Perez and Diego Serrano in The 24 Hour Woman (1999)
The 24 Hour Woman
5.3
  • Director
  • 1999
Household Saints (1993)
Household Saints
6.9
  • Director
  • 1993

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • El Gato
    • In Production
  • The Dollanganger Saga (2014)
    The Dollanganger Saga
    • (directed by)
  • The Tale of Timmy Two Chins (2013)
    The Tale of Timmy Two Chins
  • Mira Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard in Union Square (2011)
    Union Square
  • Dirt (2003)
    Dirt
  • Reno: Rebel Without a Pause (2002)
    Reno: Rebel Without a Pause
  • Mike Binder, Taylor Nichols, Sonya Walger, and Jake Weber in The Mind of the Married Man (2001)
    The Mind of the Married Man
  • Michael Beach, Eddie Cibrian, Kim Raver, Jason Wiles, Coby Bell, Amy Carlson, Molly Price, Anthony Ruivivar, and Skipp Sudduth in Third Watch (1999)
    Third Watch
  • Rosie Perez and Diego Serrano in The 24 Hour Woman (1999)
    The 24 Hour Woman
  • Demi Moore, Cher, and Sissy Spacek in If These Walls Could Talk (1996)
    If These Walls Could Talk
    • (segments 1952, 1974)
  • Dark Eyes
  • Murder One (1995)
    Murder One
  • Household Saints (1993)
    Household Saints
  • River Phoenix and Lili Taylor in Dogfight (1991)
    Dogfight
  • Annabella Sciorra in True Love (1989)
    True Love

Writer

  • El Gato
    • In Production
  • Mira Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard in Union Square (2011)
    Union Square
  • Dirt (2003)
    Dirt
  • Rosie Perez and Diego Serrano in The 24 Hour Woman (1999)
    The 24 Hour Woman
  • Demi Moore, Cher, and Sissy Spacek in If These Walls Could Talk (1996)
    If These Walls Could Talk
    • (segment 1952)
  • Household Saints (1993)
    Household Saints
  • Annabella Sciorra in True Love (1989)
    True Love

Producer

  • The Tale of Timmy Two Chins (2013)
    The Tale of Timmy Two Chins
  • Dirt (2003)
    Dirt
  • Reno: Rebel Without a Pause (2002)
    Reno: Rebel Without a Pause
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

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    • July 23, 1959
    • Bronx, New York, USA
    • Richard GuayMay 31, 1980 - present (3 children)
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Interviews
    • 1 Article
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Gave birth to her 1st child, a son Bobby Guay, with her husband Richard Guay.

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