Tom Musca (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 ''Stand and Deliver'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Ramón Menéndez, written by Menéndez and Tom Musca, based on the true story of a high school mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante. For portraying Escalante, Edward James Olmos wa ...

'' in 1988. The film was nominated for seven

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...

and won six, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay honors for Musca. Additionally, Edward James Olmos, was nominated for an Oscar and an Academy Award for his role in the film. ''Stand and Deliver'' is preserved in the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress. He has gone on to write, produce and direct for film, television and the theater. 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'' starring Hector Elizondo and Raquel Welch. He wrote and directed ''Melting Pot'' aka Race starring Paul Rodriguez and was a writer for Gotta Kick It Up! starring

America Ferrara America Georgina Ferrera (; born April 18, 1984) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents, Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school. She made her featur ...

. 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. In 2020 he wrote, produced and directed ''Chateau Vato,'' a rags to riches comedy set in Miami. On March 9, 2023, he premiered ''Dying To Direct'', a short film based on one of his short stories at the 40th Annual Miami Film Festival, which he wrote, produced and co-directed.

Filmography

*'' Little Nikita'' (story) 1988 *''

'' (writer/producer) 1988 *'' Money for Nothing'' (writer/producer) 1993 *''

Melting Pot (film) ''Melting Pot'', also known as ''Race'', is a 1998 feature film directed by Tom Musca, writer and producer of ''Stand and Deliver''. Premise Gustavo Alvarez is a Latino house painter who resides in Los Angeles. His wife urges him to compete for ...

'' ''aka Race'' (writer/director) 1998 *'' Flight of Fancy'' aka ''Facing Fear'' (writer/producer/second unit director) 2000 *'' Tortilla Soup'' (writer, producer) 2001 * ''Gotta Kick it Up!'' Writer (2001) *''Make Love Great Again'' (producer, additional writing, actor) 2018 *''Chateau Vato'' (writer/director/producer) 2020 *''Amaraica'' (producer) 2021 *''Dying to Direct''(writer, director, producer) 2023

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Musca, Tom Filmmakers from Florida 1951 births Living people Rutgers University alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of Miami faculty