Asa Mader (born February 20, 1975)De Haiden, Moritz (2003) ''Venice Biennale: Cinematographic Art - 60th International Exhibition'', Mondadori Electa, is an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

History

Asa Mader studied cinema and new technologies at Brown University and New York University and was awarded the Roberta Joslin Award for Excellence in Art with one of his first Super 8mm films. 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 ( YSL,

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

, Valentino,

Bulgari Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. Headquartered in Rome, the company was acquired by the French conglomera ...

, Cacharel, Dolce&Gabbana, Pucci, Paul Smith, Sisley,

Missoni Missoni is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Varese, Italy, Varese, and known for its colourful knitwear designs. The company was founded by Ottavio Missoni, Ottavio ("Tai") and Rosita Missoni in 1953. History Early beginnings The busin ...

Moschino Moschino () is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1983 by Franco Moschino in Milan known for over-the-top, Camp (style), campy designs. The company specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, and fashion accessories. Moschino's ...

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ''Sky Arts'' ranked her the ...

and

Oscar de la Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...

). Asa Mader then went on to direct his first narrative film ''La Maladie de La Mort'', based on the homonymous novel by

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) ea ...

and starring

Anna Mouglalis Anna Mouglalis (; ; born 26 April 1978) is a French actress and model. She is known for being a house ambassador for Chanel since 2002, and for portraying the fashion designer Coco Chanel in the 2009 film '' Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'', and a ...

. The film was part of the official selection of the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

among others:

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

, “Premiers Plans” in Angers,

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

(Short Film Corner), International Film Festival of Kerala and the Festival “Entrevues” of Belfort. In 2004, Asa Mader created his first stage direction ''HEROINE'' starring

, a theatrical installation/performance combining film projections and the texts of

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

and

Marguerite Yourcenar Marguerite Yourcenar (, ; ; born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour; 8 June 190317 December 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist who became a US citizen in 1947. Winner of the Prix Femina and ...

, 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 in Siracusa,

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. 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 Paris Première is a French TV channel, available on cable television, cable, satellite television, satellite and the Digital terrestrial television, digital terrestrial service, Télévision Numérique Terrestre. It was launched on 15 December 1 ...

, in which a young actress takes you into the heart of her neighborhood, in this case the red-light district of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Asa Mader has co-written several of the Soundwalk audio tours, including one in NYC's

DUMBO ''Dumbo'' is a 1941 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical Fantasy film, fantasy Comedy drama, comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film i ...

neighborhood and the official '' Da Vinci Code'' tour of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

with

Jean Reno Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez (born 30 July 1948), commonly known as Jean Reno (), is a French-Spanish actor. He established himself as a Leading actor, leading man of French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, and has w ...

. 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''. 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 The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-nominated documentary '' War Photographer''. 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 The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

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", the first single of

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

's album ''

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'', often referred to as simply ''Viva la Vida'', is the fourth studio album by the British Rock music, rock band Coldplay, released on 12 June 2008 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom. "Viva la vida" ...

''. The music video was nominated for Best UK Video and Best Special Effects in a Video at the

2008 MTV Video Music Awards The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008, live from Paramount Pictures Studios (which, like MTV, is owned by Viacom), honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were ...

and Best Video at the

Q Awards The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...

Asa Mader worked in collaboration with choreographer

Benjamin Millepied Benjamin Millepied (; born 10 June 1977) is a French dancer and choreographer, who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has als ...

on a dance (and film) piece entitled ''Years Later'', commissioned and performed by

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; ; born January 27, 1948) is a Latvian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male ...

. The piece was previewed on April 14, 2009, at the

Baryshnikov Arts Center The Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) is a foundation and arts complex opened by Mikhail Baryshnikov in 2005 at 450 West 37th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The top three fl ...

's Spring Gala in New York and premiered in

Riga, Latvia Riga ( ) is the capital, primate, and largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city lim ...

on May 2, 2009. In homage to the birthday of

, a short film portrait by Asa Mader was presented on NOWNESS on January 27, 2012. Asa Mader's more recent collaboration with

resulted in the short film ''Time Doesn't Stand Still'', starring

Léa Seydoux Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne (; born 1 July 1985) is a French actress. Prolific in both French cinema and Cinema of the United States, Hollywood, she has received five César Award nominations, two Lumière Awards, a Palme d'Or a ...

. It features an original soundtrack by composer (and longtime

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

-collaborator)

Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer and arranger best known for his film music, notably the scores for his collaborations with director David Lynch, '' Blue Velvet'' (1986), ''Twin Peaks'' (1 ...

. A short teaser of the film was previewed on the website NOWNESS in December 2010. The completed version of the film was released in 2011. In 2012, Asa Mader was invited by the

Deauville American Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival () is a yearly film festival devoted to Cinema of the United States, American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan, André Halimi, and then ...

for a writing residency and to work on a film based on a book of

William Dean Howells William Dean Howells ( ; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American Realism (arts), realist novelist, literary critic, playwright, and diplomat, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ...

. He also showcased ''Ray of Life'' an immersive film experience starring Carmen Kass during Pitti Uomo in

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence was a centre of medieval European t ...

. ''Ray of Life'' utilized 3D panoramic and holographic projections and was developed with fashion brand Jay Ahr and technology company

Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes SE () (abbreviated 3DS) is a French Multinational corporation, multinational software corporation which develops software for 3D product design, simulation, manufacturing and other 3D related products. Founded in 1981, it is ...

. 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. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

’s trusted allies, was presented at Independent Filmmaker Project's Spotlight on Documentaries in New York. The project was subsequently presented at the 2014

Hot Docs The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

Forum in Toronto. In 2014, Asa Mader teamed up with filmmakers Arthur Jafa and Kahlil Joseph to produce the feature-length documentary ''Dreams Are Colder Than Death'', 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 The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF i ...

, the Los Angeles Film Festival and received the Best Documentary Feature Award at BlackStar Film Festival.2014 BlackStar Film Festival Award Winners"
Indiewire

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" by

(2008)

References

External links

*
Asa Mader - personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mader, Asa Place of birth missing (living people) 1975 births Living people 20th-century American people 21st-century American people American artists American company founders American documentary filmmakers American expatriates in France American expatriates in India American expatriates in Italy American male screenwriters American music video directors American television directors American theatre directors Brown University alumni Deauville American Film Festival Film directors from Ohio Tisch School of the Arts alumni