| Vela Manusaute | |
|---|---|
| Born | Niue |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, Director |
Vela Manusaute is a Niuean writer and director. He is the creator and writer of New Zealand's first bilingual English-Tongan television series, Brutal Lives - Mo'ui Faingata'a.
Background
Vela is part-Niuean and part-Samoan; he was born in Niue and lived in his village Mutalau before his family moved to New Zealand in 1979. He graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama Scholl in 1995 with a Diploma in Acting, and was their first Niuean to graduate. In 2002 he founded the theatre and music group Kila Kokonut Krew.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Tattooist | Actor - Taxi Driver 2 | Television |
| 2010 | Matariki | Actor - Russ | Television |
| 2013 | The Factory | Executive producer, actor - Mason | Web series |
| 2018 | The Messiah | Director | Short film |
| 2020 | Educators | Actor - Vela | Television |
| 2020 | Brutal Lives - Mo'ui Faingata'a | Director | Television |
Awards
In 1997 he won the Best Male Comedy award at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards as one half of comedy duo The Brownies.
With Anapela Polataivao he received the New Generation Award for theatre at the 2014 Arts Foundation Awards.
In 2020 he won the Best Screenplay and Best Art Directions awards for his short film The Messiah at the Pacific Rims Film Festival 2020.
References
- ^ "All-Tongan cast in pioneer bilingual drama series in NZ". RNZ. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- "Vela Manusaute". Little Island Press. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- "Graduate". www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Vela Manusaute". NZ on Screen. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- "Vela Manusaute's Biography". The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- "2014 Westpac New Zealand Arts Awards recipients announced". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
External links
- Vela Manusaute at IMDb
- Vela Manusaute in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
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