| Bojana Novakovic | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 November 1981 Belgrade, Serbia |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
Bojana Novakovic (Serbian: Бојана Новаковић / Bojana Novaković; born 17 November 1981[1]) is a Serbian Australian actress who works in Australia and the United States.
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Novakovic was born in 1981 in Serbia. She moved to Australia in 1988, at the age of seven. Novakovic was initially interested in becoming a social worker or doctor, but after a significant set of events, she changed her mind and decided to pursue performing arts. Novakovic studied at The McDonald College in Sydney,[2] (where she was Dux of 1999) and graduated from NIDA with a BA in Dramatic Arts in 2002. She has a younger sister, Valentina, who is also an actress, currently performing in the Australian soap opera, Neighbours.[3]
In 2003, Novakovic played Randa in the ABC mini-series Marking Time, a role which won her an AFI Award for "Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy". As an actor, Novakovic's film credits in Australia include Blackrock (1996), Strange Fits of Passion (1998), The Monkey's Mask (1999), Thunderstruck (2004), Solo (2005), and the Serbian movies Optimisti (2005) and Skinning (2010). Recent breakout roles include Drag Me to Hell (2009), Edge of Darkness (2009) and Devil (2010). Upcoming films include Burning Man and Generation Um.
Theatre credits in Australia include These People, Away and Strange Fruit at the Sydney Theatre Company; The Female of the Species at the Melbourne Theatre Company; Woyzeck (Helpmann award nomination for best supporting actress in 2009), Criminology (Green Room award nomination for best actress 2007), Eldorado (Helpmann nomination for best supporting actress, 2006) and Necessary Targets at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, Death Variations and Loveplay (Ride On) for B Sharp, Romeo and Juliet with Bell Shakespeare Company and Debris for Ride On Theatre (which received a Green Room nomination for best Independent production and best actress in 2006).
Novakovic also runs her own independent theatre company, Ride On Theatre (Sydney and Melbourne) with co-director Tanya Goldberg. She was a producer and performer for the 2004 Ride On Theatre sell out season of LOVEPLAY at the Downstairs Belvoir Street Theatre, and the 2006 Green Room nominated production of Debris (in which she was also nominated for best actress).
In 2008, she translated, adapted and directed Fake Porno in Melbourne, which was invited to be part of the Powerhouse season in Brisbane in 2009, and also received three Green Room nominations including best production. Outside of Ride On, she wrote and directed with Melbourne's Black Lung Theatre for the critically acclaimed production of Sugar at the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Festival.
Novakovic also works as a Serbian translator for theatre and film. She stays in touch with her Australian roots by working extensively with the country's refugees.
In 2010, Novakovic received an AFI nomination for International Award for Best Actress for her role in Edge of Darkness.[4]
Ride On's late 2011 production was The Story of Mary MacLane by Herself, based on the writings of Mary MacLane, a self proclaimed genius and recluse from the very early 20th century in Butte, Montana. Novakovic wrote the piece with musician Tim Rogers and Tanya Goldberg as director. They received funding from the Australia Council for the Arts for development of the show with support from Malthouse Theatre as well as production funding from Art NSW. A comprehensive MacLane anthology - Human Days: A Mary MacLane Reader - debuted in Australia with a Foreword by Novakovic in late November 2011. The second volume, A Quite Unusual Intensity of Life: A Mary MacLane Companion, also issued under the Petrarca Press logo, is to be published in late 2012. The two volumes are to total 1200+ pages.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | House of Fun | Gymnast | TV series |
| 1997 | Blackrock | Tracy | Credited as Boyana Novakovich |
| 1999 | Heartbreak High | Tasha | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Big Sky | Leisa | TV series, episode: "Desperate Measures" |
| 1999 | Strange Fits of Passion | Jaya | |
| 1999 | WildSide | Vildana Asimovic | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Murder Call | Sophie Misfud | TV series, episode: "Bad Business" |
| 1999 | All Saints | Rachel Carpenter | TV series, episode: "Ghosts of Christmas Past" |
| 2000 | Water Rats | Sarah Schreiber | TV series, episode: "A Day to Remember (Break Your Heart)" |
| 2000 | The Monkey's Mask | Tianna | |
| 2003 | Marking Time | Randa | TV movie |
| 2004 | Everything Goes | Brianie's Friend | Short film |
| 2004 | Thunderstruck | Anna | |
| 2004–2005 | The Cooks | Raffa | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 2005 | The Eye Inside | Mademoiselle "X" | Short film |
| 2006 | Solo | Billie | |
| 2006 | The Optimists | Marina | |
| 2006 | BlackJack: At the Gates | Nikki | TV movie |
| 2007–2009 | Satisfaction | Tippi | TV series, 20 episodes |
| 2008 | Seven Pounds | Julie | |
| 2009 | Drag Me to Hell | Ilenka Ganush | |
| 2010 | Edge of Darkness | Emma Craven | |
| 2010 | Devil | Sarah Caraway | |
| 2010 | Skinning | Mina | |
| 2011 | Burning Man | Sarah | |
| 2012 | Generation Um... | ||
| 2011 | Shadows from the Sky | Dr. Valentina Federova |