Biography
With films like "Philomena" and "The Invisible Woman," Gabrielle Tana produced quality, classy movies that attracted top tier talent. In addition to "Philomena," which earned stars Judi Dench and Steve Coogan (who also co-wrote the script) raves, Tana also helped launch the directing career of one of England's finest actors, Ralph Fiennes. After a period working in France for the Disney Corporation, Tana moved to New York to form a production company, Magnolia Mae Films, with writer / producer Carolyn Marks Blackwood. Tana's first movie was a European co-production, "Someone Else's America" (1995), then went on to make "Animals with the Tollkeeper" (1998), which featured the eclectic cast of Mickey Rooney, John Turturro, and Tim Roth. When Tana was developing "The Duchess" (2008), she forged a friendship with Ralph Fiennes, eventually becoming the producer of his first two films as a director, the Shakespeare adaptation "Coriolanus" (2011), and the big screen version of the acclaimed novel "The Invisible Woman" (2013), which about the mistress of Charles Dickens. Another producing triumph for Tana was "Philomena" (2013), which was in development for three years before it finally got made. Directed by Stephen Frears, "Philomena" was based on the non-fiction book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, written by Martin Sixsmith. "Philomena" was the true story of a woman searching for the son she had been forced to give up for adoption 50 years before. British comedian Steve Coogan plays Sixsmith, the journalist who helps Philomena in her search. "Philomena" was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, a Best Actress nod for Judi Dench, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.
