LashawnLxs at 21:10, 30 April 2026

2026-04-30T21:10:26Z

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{{short description|American film director}}

'''Asa Mader''' (born February 20, 1975)<ref name="Haiden">De Haiden, Moritz (2003) ''Venice Biennale: Cinematographic Art - 60th International Exhibition'', Mondadori Electa, {{ISBN|978-88-370-2461-1}}</ref> is an American [[film director]], [[screenwriter]] and [[visual artist]].

==History==
Asa Mader studied cinema and new technologies at Brown University and New York University<ref>"[https://www.brown.edu/academics/modern-culture-and-media/alumni Alumni, Modern Culture and Media]", Brown University</ref> and was awarded the Roberta Joslin Award for Excellence in Art with one of his first Super 8mm films.<ref>"[http://art-action.org/site/en/cat/sample.php?oeuvre=L6213&lang=en Les Rencontres Paris-Berlin]", Festival Les Rencontres Paris-Berlin</ref>

Asa Mader co-founded the NY-based digital design studio DIGITAL FORM—which served many prominent brands in the high-end fashion and luxury market ([[Yves Saint Laurent (brand)|YSL]], [[Versace]], [[Valentino SpA|Valentino]], [[Bulgari]], [[Cacharel]], [[Dolce&Gabbana]], [[Emilio Pucci|Pucci]], [[Paul Smith (fashion designer)|Paul Smith]], Sisley, [[Missoni]], [[Moschino]], [[Vivienne Westwood]] and [[Oscar de la Renta]]).<ref>"[http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1194212/print-preview/ Geek Chic - New York's Digital Form Delivers Bytes and Sites with Style]", Women's Wear Daily, May 12, 2000</ref><ref>"[http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1182199/print-preview/ Pucci Conquers Cyberspace]", Women's Wear Daily, July 30, 2001</ref>

Asa Mader then went on to direct his first narrative film ''La Maladie de La Mort'', based on the homonymous novel by [[Marguerite Duras]] and starring [[Anna Mouglalis]]. The film was part of the official selection of the [[Venice Film Festival]]<ref name="Haiden" /> among others: [[Locarno Film Festival]], “Premiers Plans” in Angers, [[Cannes Film Festival]] (Short Film Corner),{{Citation needed|date=February 2016}} International Film Festival of Kerala and the Festival “Entrevues” of Belfort.<ref>"[http://www.festival-entrevues.com/en/international-competition-2003 International Competition 2013]", International Film Festival Entrevues Belfort</ref>

In 2004, Asa Mader created his first stage direction ''HEROINE'' starring [[Anna Mouglalis]], a theatrical installation/performance combining film projections and the texts of [[Ovid]] and [[Marguerite Yourcenar]], along with text messages (SMS), all written proclamations of love, waiting and the anguish of love at a distance. ''HEROINE'' premiered at the Festival of Ortigia<ref>"[http://www.ortigiafestival.it/pagine/fest04/mouglalis/mouglalis.htm Heroine at Festival of Ortigia"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070727010004/http://www.ortigiafestival.it/pagine/fest04/mouglalis/mouglalis.htm |date=July 27, 2007 }}, Ortigia Festival 2004</ref> in [[Syracuse, Sicily|Siracusa]], [[Sicily]].

In 2005, Asa directed two films for French TV - ''Little Italy: Wiseguys, Bullets, Backrooms'' is a docu-fiction based on the Soundwalk audio tours of the mythic mafia neighborhood of New York. ''Pigalle'' starring [[Lou Doillon]] is the first of a series of five films commissioned by [[Paris Première]], in which a young actress takes you into the heart of her neighborhood, in this case the red-light district of [[Paris]].

Asa Mader has co-written several of the Soundwalk audio tours, including one in NYC's [[DUMBO]] neighborhood<ref>"[http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soundwalk-nyc-soundwalk/1103491512 Soundwalk NYC - Brooklyn]" Barnes & Noble</ref> and the official ''[[The Da Vinci Code|Da Vinci Code]]'' tour of the [[Louvre]] with [[Jean Reno]].<ref>"[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4773701.stm Louvre Offers Da Vinci Code Tour]", BBC News, May 15, 2006</ref>

In 2006, Asa Mader presented three large-format film and video installations shot in Bombay and commissioned by Lille3000 in the exhibition entitled ''Bombay: Maximum City''.<ref>"[http://blog.meld.cc/2013/09/17/meld-presents-asa-mader-ikono-tv-on-air-festival/ MELD presents Asa Mader"]{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, IKONO.TV</ref> Additionally, Asa presented a diptych of “film portraits” on the writers [[Suketu Mehta]] (Pulitzer Prize Nominee) and [[Pavan Varma]] (author of ''Being Indian'') in the same exhibition.

Asa Mader presented several film works at Le Laboratoire in Paris in a joint exhibit with photographer and photojournalist [[James Nachtwey]], subject of the [[Academy Award]]-nominated documentary ''[[War Photographer]]''.<ref>"[http://www.obiwi.fr/culture/1745-combat-pour-la-vie-une-expo-de-james-nachtwey “Combat pour la vie”, une expo de James Nachtwey] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721014324/http://www.obiwi.fr/culture/1745-combat-pour-la-vie-une-expo-de-james-nachtwey |date=July 21, 2011 }}", Obiwi, 12/02/08, retrieved 2010-01-21</ref> The exhibit entitled ''Combat pour la vie / Struggle for Life'' consists of a series of original photographs bearing witness to [[James Nachtwey]]’s work in Siberia, Asia and Africa, and to initiatives in the fight against [[AIDS]], [[tuberculosis]] and other infectious diseases. Asa created film portraits of four of the leading medical scientists in this field as well as an installation/portrait of the photographer [[James Nachtwey]].

Asa Mader directed the music video "[[Violet Hill (song)|Violet Hill]]",<ref>"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IakDItZ7f7Q Violet Hill]", Youtube Official</ref> the first single of [[Coldplay]]'s album ''[[Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends]]''.<ref>"[https://www.nme.com/news/coldplay/36744 'George Bush' gets on his dancing shoes for new Coldplay video]", ''[[NME]]'', May 20, 2008, retrieved 2010-01-21</ref>
The music video was nominated for Best UK Video<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090531172720/http://www.mtv.co.uk/shows/vmas/news/42122-2008-mtv-video-music-awards-best-uk-video 2008 MTV Video Music Awards | Best UK Video]", MTV UK News</ref><ref>"[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7543867.stm Best UK Video]", BBC News Aug 2008</ref> and Best Special Effects in a Video at the [[2008 MTV Video Music Awards]]<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20081028080719/http://www.mtv.com/videos/coldplay/233694/violet-hill.jhtml MTV Video Music Awards 2008 - Nominees]", MTV Video Music Awards, retrieved 2010-01-21</ref> and Best Video at the [[Q Awards]]<ref>"[https://archive.today/20120903195027/http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/coldplay/news/45297-coldplay-top-q-awards-list?s_cid=287 Coldplay Top Q Awards List]", MTV UK</ref>

Asa Mader worked in collaboration with choreographer [[Benjamin Millepied]] on a dance (and film) piece entitled ''Years Later'', commissioned and performed by [[Mikhail Baryshnikov]].<ref>"[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/arts/dance/17laro.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1 He Has a Pass to Dance as Long as He Wants ]", ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 14, 2009, retrieved 2010-01-21</ref> The piece was previewed on April 14, 2009, at the [[Baryshnikov Arts Center]]'s Spring Gala in New York and premiered in [[Riga, Latvia]] on May 2, 2009. In homage to the birthday of [[Mikhail Baryshnikov]], a short film portrait by Asa Mader was presented on [[NOWNESS]] on January 27, 2012.<ref>"[https://www.nowness.com/story/on-this-day-in-1948 On This Day in 1948]", NOWNESS, Jan 27,2012</ref>

Asa Mader's more recent collaboration with [[Benjamin Millepied]] resulted in the short film ''Time Doesn't Stand Still'', starring [[Léa Seydoux]].<ref>"[http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2010/12/black-swan-choreographer-in-romantic-tango-short/ Black Swan Choreographer in Romantic Tango Short"], Filmmaker Magazine, December 12, 2010</ref> It features an original soundtrack by composer (and longtime [[David Lynch]]-collaborator) [[Angelo Badalamenti]]. A short teaser of the film was previewed on the website [[NOWNESS]] in December 2010.<ref>"[http://www.nowness.com/day/2010/12/9/1195/time-doesn-t-stand-still NOWNESS presents Time Doesn't Stand Still"] NOWNESS, Dec 12, 2010</ref> The completed version of the film was released in 2011.<ref>"[http://www.vogue.it/en/people-are-talking-about/music-theatre-cinema/2011/01/benjamin-millepied Millepied returns to Movies: New short film with director Asa Mader "], Vogue Italia</ref>

In 2012, Asa Mader was invited by the [[Deauville American Film Festival]] for a writing residency and to work on a film based on a book of [[William Dean Howells]].<ref>"[http://www.festival-deauville.com/pdf/2012/2012-FCAD-DP-GB.pdf Festival Press Release"] 38th Deauville American Film Festival</ref> He also showcased ''Ray of Life'' an immersive film experience starring [[Carmen Kass]] during [[Pitti Uomo]] in [[Florence, Italy]]. ''Ray of Life'' utilized 3D panoramic and holographic projections and was developed with fashion brand Jay Ahr and technology company [[Dassault Systèmes]].<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20160317041205/http://eachxother.fr/magazine/asa-mader-showcases-an-immersive-film-experience-during-pitti-uomo-firenze-june-2012-ray-of-life/ Asa Mader Showcases an Immersive Film Experience]", Each x Other Magazine, June 16, 2012</ref>

In 2013, Asa Mader's feature documentary project ''In The Shadow of the Dream'', a portrait of [[Clarence Benjamin Jones]], one of Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]’s trusted allies, was presented at [[Independent Filmmaker Project]]'s Spotlight on Documentaries in New York.<ref>"[http://www.ifp.org/resources/2013-project-forum-slate/#.VrEXuWSLS2w Spotlight on Documentaries"], 2013 IFP Project Forum Slate</ref> The project was subsequently presented at the 2014 [[Hot Docs]] Forum in Toronto.<ref>"[http://www.documentary.org/magazine/hot-docs-2014-buckets-rain-beaucoup-de-docs Hot Docs 2014: Buckets of Rain, Beaucoup de Docs]" Documentary Magazine</ref>

In 2014, Asa Mader teamed up with filmmakers Arthur Jafa and Kahlil Joseph to produce the feature-length documentary ''Dreams Are Colder Than Death'',<ref>"[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3954418/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm Dreams Are Colder Than Death - Full Credits"], IMDB</ref> a haunted cinematic meditation on the question: "what does it mean to be black in America in the 21st century?" The film was co-produced with [[ZDF/Arte]] and premiered at the 52nd [[New York Film Festival]],<ref>"[http://filmmakermagazine.com/87253-nyff-announces-spotlight-on-documentary-selections-including-films-from-maysles-blank-scorsese/#.VrEO92SLS2w NYFF Announces Spotlight on Documentary Selections: Films From Maysles, Blank, Scorsese"], Filmmaker Magazine</ref><ref>"[http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/elisa-moorehead-producer-asa-mader-director-arthur-jafa-news-photo/456423904 Producer Asa Mader at NYFF"], Getty Images</ref> the [[Los Angeles Film Festival]]<ref>"[http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/arthur-jafa-kahlil-joseph-team-up-for-dreams-are-colder-than-death-world-premiering-at-laff-see-full-lineup Arthur Jafa & Kahlil Joseph Team Up For 'Dreams are Colder than Death' World Premiering At LAFF"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019043905/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/arthur-jafa-kahlil-joseph-team-up-for-dreams-are-colder-than-death-world-premiering-at-laff-see-full-lineup |date=2015-10-19 }}, Indiewire May 6, 2014</ref> and received the Best Documentary Feature Award at [[BlackStar Film Festival]].<ref>"[http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/2014-blackstar-film-festival-award-winners-evolution-of-a-criminal-dreams-are-colder-than-death-20140807 2014 BlackStar Film Festival Award Winners"]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Indiewire</ref>

==Filmography==

===Feature films===
*''Dreams Are Colder Than Death'' (2014)
*''In The Shadow of the Dream'' (2013)

===Films for TV===
*''Pigalle with Lou Doillon'' (2006)
*''Little Italy: Wiseguys, Bullets, Backrooms'' (2005)

===Short films===
*''Time Doesn't Stand Still'' (2011)
*''La Maladie de la Mort/The Malady of Death'' (2003)

===Music videos===
*"[[Violet Hill (song)|Violet Hill]]" by [[Coldplay]] (2008)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|name=Asa Mader|id=1540221}}
*[http://www.asamader.com/ Asa Mader - personal website]

{{authority control}}

{{More categories |date=November 2024}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mader, Asa}}
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American people]]
[[Category:21st-century American people]]
[[Category:American company founders]]
[[Category:American documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:American expatriates in France]]
[[Category:American expatriates in India]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Italy]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:American music video directors]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:American theatre directors]]
[[Category:Brown University alumni]]
[[Category:Deauville American Film Festival]]
[[Category:Film directors from Ohio]]
[[Category:New York University Tisch School of the Arts alumni]]
[[Category:New York University alumni]]

Asa Mader - Revision history

LashawnLxs at 21:10, 30 April 2026