Tom Musca Explained

Tom Musca^{[1] [2]} (born 1951) is an American filmmaker and professor.

Biography

Musca received a BA from Rutgers University in 1973 and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1981.

Musca's best known work was as the writer and producer of Stand and Deliver in 1988.^[3] The film was nominated for seven Independent Spirit Awards and won six, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay honors for Musca.^[4] Additionally, Edward James Olmos, was nominated for an Oscar and an Academy Award for his role in the film.^[5] Stand and Deliver is preserved in the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress.^[6]

He has gone on to write, produce and direct for film, television and the theater.^[7] Musca was a co-writer and producer for Money for Nothing with John Cusack, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Benicio del Toro and Tortilla Soup^[8] starring Hector Elizondo and Raquel Welch. He wrote and directed Melting Pot aka Race^[9] starring Paul Rodriguez and was a writer for Gotta Kick It Up! starring America Ferrara.^[10]

Since 2010 Musca has been the head of the MFA Screenwriting track and Professor of Professional Practice at the University of Miami School of Communication.^[11] In 2020 he wrote, produced and directed^[12] Chateau Vato, a rags to riches comedy set in Miami.^[13] On March 9, 2023, he premiered Dying To Direct,^[14] a short film based on one of his short stories at the 40th Annual Miami Film Festival,^[15] which he wrote, produced and co-directed.

Filmography

• Little Nikita (story) 1988^[16]
• Stand and Deliver (writer/producer) 1988
• Money for Nothing (writer/producer) 1993^[17]
• Melting Pot (film) aka Race (writer/director) 1998
• Flight of Fancy aka Facing Fear (writer/producer/second unit director) 2000^[18]
• Tortilla Soup (writer, producer) 2001
• Gotta Kick it Up! Writer (2001)^[19]
• Make Love Great Again (producer, additional writing, actor) 2018^[20]
• Chateau Vato (writer/director/producer) 2020^[21]
• Amaraica (producer) 2021^[22]
• Dying to Direct^[23] (writer, director, producer) 2023

References

1. Web site: Author Profile - Tom Musca . 2022-10-18 . www.dramaticpublishing.com.
2. Web site: Getting Some Screen Time . 2023-01-20 . Rutgers University Alumni Association . en-US.
3. News: Maslin . Janet . March 18, 1988 . Math Teacher to Root For in Stand and Deliver . Section C, Page 14 . The New York TImes . March 18, 2023.
4. Web site: 2009-06-03 . Stand and Deliver - Cast, Crew, Director and Awards - NYTimes.com . 2022-10-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090603014510/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/46436/Stand-and-Deliver/details . 2009-06-03 .
5. News: Harmetz . Aljean . 1988-03-20 . FILM; Math Stars in a Movie . 2023-01-17 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
6. Web site: 2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates . 2022-10-18 . Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
7. Web site: Barofsky . Karen . 2023-06-09 . Back Story . 2023-07-26 . bocaratonobserver.com . en-us.
8. Web site: Thomas . Kevin . 2001-08-24 . 'Tortilla Soup' Adjusts a Recipe . 2023-01-17 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
9. Web site: Andrew Hindes . 1997-10-08 . Trio through stirring Musca's 'Melting Pot' . 2023-01-17 . Variety.
10. Web site: Garner . Glenn . April 24, 2021 . America Ferrara Celebrates Twenty Years Since her First Day As a Working Actress: We Did It Baby Girl . March 18, 2023 . People.com.
11. Web site: Thomas Musca . 2023-07-26 . UM School of Communication . en-US.
12. Web site: Montoya . Kelly . 2020-12-10 . Associate professor writes, produces, directs HBO film . 2022-10-18 . news.miami.edu . en.
13. Web site: Valdes . Jabria Roscoe and Karina . University filmmakers' work hits the screen at Miami Film Festival . 2023-07-26 . news.miami.edu . en.
14. Web site: Trattner . Charlotte . February 23, 2023 . The Miami Film Festival Returns For its 40th Year . March 19, 2023 . Miamimagazine.com.
15. Web site: Rosa . Amanda . March 1, 2023 . As Miami Film Festival celebrates 40 years, South Florida cinemas hope for better days . March 19, 2023 . MiamiHerald.com.
16. Web site: Rosenbaum . Jonathan . October 26, 1985 . Little Nikita . March 18, 2023 . The Chicago Reader.
17. News: Rosenfeld . Megan . September 15, 1993 . Money For Nothing . The Washington Post . March 18, 2023.
18. Web site: March 19, 2023 . Flight of Fancy-Full Cast and Crew . March 19, 2023 . TVGuide.com.
19. Web site: March 19, 2023 . Tom Musca List of Movies . March 19, 2023 . TV guide.
20. Web site: Colagrande . JJ . May 14, 2019 . Make Love Great Again Debuts on HBO . March 18, 2023 . The Jitney.
21. Web site: Diaz . Johnny . 2017-08-23 . South Florida a backdrop in comedy film, 'Chateau Vato,' with Paul Rodriguez . 2023-01-20 . Sun Sentinel.
22. Web site: Hernandez . Al Carlos . 2021-09-03 . Award-winning Indie 'Amaraica' Premieres on HBO MAX Sept. 3 . 2023-01-20 . Latin Heat . en-US.
23. Web site: Vega . Jose . February 27, 2023 . Festival de Cine de Miami: estrenos y cineastas cubanos en el certamen Knight Made in MIA . March 19, 2023 . elnuevoherald.com.