CHICAGO– When the term “A Star is Born” is used, behind that moment is hours of toil and stick-to-it-tiveness that actors and creators must go through. In that process is the Irish actor/writer and director Tania Notaro, who recently brought her short film “Glitterbug” to the Chicago Irish Film Festival.
“Glitterbug” is set in 1990s Dublin, as two young club DJs (Notaro and co-star Irene Kelleher) dream of making it to London and the big time. When one of them is diagnosed with the HIV virus, this dream is deferred and causes tension among caretakers, relatives and friends. “Glitterbug” is Tania Notaro’s first film.
Actor/Writer/Director Tania Notaro of ‘Glitterbug’
Photo credit: Tania Notaro
The actor/writer and director hails from Dublin, where she built her actor resume from roots in music and dance. Her actor debut was the short “Why I Married Karen” in 2016, and went on to perform in the feature film “Red Room” and AMC series “Into the Badlands.” Concurrently with that work, she got her Masters degree in Screenwriting for Film &TV from the National Film School at the Irish Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). Warner Brothers helped fund her schooling, and she was inaugurated into their Creative Talent Team as “one to watch.”
Her many honors include a John Boorman Scholarship (and work with the director himself), the Ronan Phelan Writers Award at IndieCork and the Dublin Artists Award. She was one of 12 writers selected in Europe to participate in the Eureka Series Program in Lille, France, and “Glitterbug” was produced under the Actor as Creator Scheme program, as Tania Notaro seeks to expand her voice to represent working class and LGBTQ+ women in her storytelling.
In Part One of a Podtalk with Tania Notaro, Actor and Director of “Glitterbug,” with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, the artist reflects on her art …
In Part Two, Tania talks about hurdles, female filmmaking and what she hopes to accomplish…
Trailer for “Glitterbug” …
CLICKHERE for an overview and another Podtalk from the Chicago Irish Film Festival.
 | By PATRICK McDONALD |