Vela Manusaute | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 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. [1]
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. [2] He graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1995 with a Diploma in Acting, and was their first Niuean to graduate. [3] [4] In 2002 he founded the theatre and music group Kila Kokonut Krew. [4]
| 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 |
In 1997 he won the Best Male Comedy award at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards as one half of comedy duo The Brownies. [5]
With Anapela Polataivao he received the New Generation Award for theatre at the 2014 Arts Foundation Awards. [6]
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. [1]
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