Who We Are
NINA ROSE TAYLOR
ACTOR
Nina Rose Taylor is a 20 year old actress from Toronto. Growing up in a professional theatre family, Nina has always had the performance gene inside of her. Back in the fall, she was enrolled in a theatre school program but discovered what she truly desired was to begin working. She is now making her own way into the acting profession, surrounded by remarkable women who stimulate and inspire her. Nina is honoured to be a part of Close Your Eyes. She is thrilled to bring such a refreshing story to the screen — one that acknowledges women as complex human beings with strong ideas. She would like to thank Hannah Warry-Smith and Julia Pappo for inviting her on this crazy ride and being the greatest friends in the world. Much love.
Selected Credits: Mary Warren in The Crucible (Hart House Theatre, dir. Michael Rubinstein) Nora Helmer in A Doll’s House (Etobicoke School of the Arts presented by The Theatre Centre), Constance in The Three Musketeers (Etobicoke School of the Arts), Vanessa in Kristen Thomson’s Someone Else (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage, dir. Chris Abraham), Belinda Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (National Arts Centre, dir. Peter Hinton).
JULIA PAPPO
ACTOR
Julia Pappo is a 20 year old artist and writer from Toronto. She has been in love with acting and movies since she started watching silents with her family as a child, and is drawn to stories about local history and meaningful relationships. She is beyond excited to work with women she has grown artistically with since their teenage years, and who have supported her through studying cinema at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the University of Toronto. Julia spends her downtime working on her first feature screenplay, baking way too much babka, and trying to keep her cats away from said babka.
HANNAH WARRY-SMITH
WRITER/DIRECTOR
Hannah Warry-Smith is a 21 year old writer and artist. Born in Vancouver and raised in Toronto in a family of creative professionals, Hannah has been writing and creating for as long as she can remember. She attended the Central Saint Martins School in London, UK for a year, and is currently enrolled in OCAD University in Toronto, as well as working on her first feature-length script.
She enjoys telling stories that not only come from her specific life experiences, but also resonate with a wider audience - honest stories about women and those moments in life that make our hearts sing. She loves her two dogs and dancing to Jim Croce in the kitchen.
Close Your Eyes is her first film, and she is forever grateful to Julia Pappo and Nina Rose Taylor for taking this leap of faith with her, and to you for your support.