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Tamar Simon Hoffs, an award-winning director, writer, and producer, is currently working on her new film "Villa Aurora" (2019), starring Malcolm McDowell. The film explores the challenges artists faced during World War II. She is also preparing to complete The WOMAN Collection (2020), where she serves as Director, Producer, and lead actress. Hoffs is renowned for directing independent films such as "Red Roses and Petrol" (2003) and "Pound of Flesh" (2010), both featuring McDowell. "Red Roses and Petrol" won first prize at the Avignon Film Festival (2005) and was an Official Selection at the AFI, Bangkok, Galway, Deauville, and Toronto Film Circuit festivals. "Pound of Flesh" premiered in Europe as the closing film of Germany’s Oldenburg International Film Festival in 2010, won Best Dramatic Film at the Sacramento International Film Festival, and was licensed by Showtime and distributed by EONE Entertainment for cable and digital release.
Hoffs began her directing career in 1980 when she was selected for the American Film Institute Directing Workshop for Women. Her directorial debut, "The Haircut," starring John Cassavetes, was chosen for the "Un Certain Regard" section at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. United Press critic Dan Ehrlich praised it as "a breath of sunshine and happiness" amid the festival's tensions. Universal Studios acquired "The Haircut" in 1983, and it later screened at the Telluride, Toronto, and Sundance Film Festivals. In July 2013, the British Film Institute honored the film with a re-release.
Hoffs entered filmmaking when her friend Leonard Nimoy invited her to join the art department of his 1966 indie film "Deathwatch," directed by Jean Genet. In 1975, she wrote the feature film "Lepke," starring Tony Curtis and distributed by Warner Brothers. Two years later, she collaborated with director Andrew Davis to write and produce "Stony Island," an independent film about young R&B musicians in Chicago. "Stony Island" screened at the Sundance, Deauville American, and Chicago International Film Festivals, winning the Lincoln Award. It has since been re-released on DVD by Cinema-Libre. In 1987, Hoffs became one of the first women to hold the triple roles of director, writer, and producer on a major studio feature with "The Allnighter" (Universal Studios). In 1989, she wrote, produced, and directed the re-released video musical "Rock 'n' Read," starring Pauly Shore (MCA-Universal), and in 1999 created "Smokin': Somebody Stop Me" (Schlessinger Media), a series educating youth on the dangers of tobacco use. She also produced, wrote, and directed voices for the acclaimed digital animation series "Horrible Histories" (Scholastic, 2001), narrated by Stephen Rea. In 2003, she completed the coming-of-age documentary "Girls Uncovered." Hoffs has directed and produced numerous music videos, including The Bangles' "Going Down to Liverpool" and "If She Knew What She Wants" (Columbia Records, 1984). In theater, she directed the play "Ghost Music" featuring Jennifer Warren, Pam Grier, and Nick Cassavetes (LA Theatreworks New Play Series, 1984).
Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and raised in Chicago, Hoffs earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. She pursued graduate studies in Painting under Josef Albers at Yale University’s School of Fine Arts and studied photography with Harry Callahan at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design. In 1994, she received a Doctor of Humane Letters from the International University College, Aix-en-Provence, for International Education and European Studies. She is married to Joshua Hoffs, MD, and has three children and six grandchildren.
