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Matching Jack: Nadia Tass, hard to match

Director Nadia Tass is hard to match, with her multifaceted career and her will to pursue a project, even if it takes 10 years like Matching Jack – her first Australian film in 13 years.
Matching Jack is the story of a woman (Jacinda Barrett) whose marriage falls apart just as her child (Tom Russell) is diagnosed with leukaemia. She begins a search for potential bone-marrow donors, including the offspring that her  husband’s (Richard Roxburgh) infidelities may or may not have produced. She also shares a connection with the father (James Nesbitt) of another sick child (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
As personal as the film feels, it was not inspired by an event in Tass’s life; it is, in her words, an observation of how families are strengthened or dissipated once a traumatic event – such as cancer – comes into their lives.
“I’m interested in exploring the change that happens in life as a result of a catalyst, in this case a health incident, but the film is not about a sick child. It is about a woman’s journey,” she explained.
It was Lynne Renew who pitched her own story to Tass, back in 2000 – Renew is credited as a co-writer. The filmmaker then went to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, and found other real life cases dealing with the same issues.
“I did a lot of research; certainly the last five before I shot the film, I spent time with families researching how the diagnosis of a sick child actually changed them. Many different people’s journeys have been compiled to make this film,” said Tass.
Five years ago, Tass promised herself that Matching Jack would immediately follow the two telemovies she was scheduled to direct for US television. There were discussions to shoot this film in Seattle or Boston, but she eventually decided to come back to Melbourne with an all Australian cast – except for Nesbitt, whose character had always been Irish. With Cascade Films writer, producing partner and husband David Parker, Tass faced the challenge of finding the $5m budget in the midst of the global financial crisis, which hit three months before they were supposed to go into pre-production.
The film was financed by Screen Australia, Film Victoria, the MIFF Premiere Fund, and private investment – the latter was the hardest, because the major investor “lost everything in that crash”, according to Tass. There was a risk that the project would fall apart.

“We had to find new investors at that stage. The final budget was 20 percent lower than what we originally planned for. Many times I asked ‘why do I torture myself?’ It could have been so much easier; making it with a production company in the US and not worrying so much about the finance.
“It’s very difficult when you’re not going to go down the route of a star cast, but I’m very relieved and thrilled that we took the challenge and we made it here, with the cast that I wanted,” said Tass.

IN TOUCH WITH THE AUDIENCE
As DOP, Parker shot the film combining 35mm film and digital HD (the Sony F23). An analysis of each scene determined which medium would be used.

“Some scenes are a lot more intimate, and others have more of a grand landscape feel. There were certain times when I felt that the coolness of the digital medium worked better, even for a wide shot. It’s not simple; it was my judgement at the end of the day,” admitted Tass.
“I love playing around with new mediums. The F23 was the closest we could get to match 35mm the way we were treating it. It gave us a richness that we were really excited about, separating certain sections of the film and giving me that extra other dimension,” she said.
Matching Jack was shot 100 percent on location, taking advantage of the disused Royal Women’s Hospital, and a boatshed at Williamstown, with the Melbourne CBD in the distant background.
“[Production designer] Jon Dowding was extraordinary; working together we’re able to take something like a disused hospital and breathe fresh life into it,” said Tass.
Tass alternates her film work with theatre – she is currently directing a play in London – and it is this interaction with a live audience that gives her an insight into what people are interested in: “I learned about live audiences many years ago, and with theatre, I keep very much in touch with the audience.”
Still, it wasn’t easy for Tass and Parker to convince distributors of Matching Jack’s potential; they thought it was a story “about sick kids and medical records” and wondered what its audience would be. Many passed, but Tony Saffor, head of worldwide acquisitions for Twentieth Century Fox did not.
“He read the script and he knows our work. He said “This is good; I really want to do this and it will be Fox that will distribute it in Australia/NZ.’ Fox has been wonderful; they really love the film and believe in it,” said Tass.
According to Tass, many were turned away at the film’s sold-out premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in late July.
“There were young people, older people, and everybody came out of that cinema singing praises for the film. Who does the film appeal to? Everybody; it’s an all round film, however, the target audience is women 25+, because it’s primarily a woman’s journey in this film,” explained Tass.
Content Film is the international sales agent. Fox released it in Australia on August 19, with 185 prints.

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