Vela Manusaute

Last updated

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]

Contents

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. [2] He graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama Scholl 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]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2007 The Tattooist Actor - Taxi Driver 2Television
2010MatarikiActor - RussTelevision
2013The FactoryExecutive producer, actor - MasonWeb series
2018The MessiahDirectorShort film
2020EducatorsActor - VelaTelevision
2020Brutal Lives - Mo'ui Faingata'aDirectorTelevision

Awards

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]

Related Research Articles

<i>broTown</i> Television series

bro'Town is a New Zealand adult animated comedy television series and sitcom that ran from 2004 to 2009. It starred David Fane, Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi and Oscar Kightley.

The music of Niue has a long history. Niue is a Polynesian island in the South Pacific. Though independent, it is in free association with New Zealand.

David Geary is a Māori writer from New Zealand who is known for his plays The Learners Stand, Lovelocks Dream Run and Pack of Girls. For television he has written for New Zealand series Shortland Street and Jackson's Wharf.

Danny Mulheron is a New Zealand actor, writer, and director who has worked in theatre, television and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arts Foundation of New Zealand</span> Arts organisation in New Zealand

'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Rodger</span> New Zealand playwright

Victor John Rodger is a New Zealand journalist, actor and award-winning playwright of Samoan and Pākehā heritage. Rodger's play Sons won acclaim at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards (1998) and received the Best New Writer and Most Outstanding New New Zealand Play awards. In 2001, he won the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. Other plays include Ranterstantrum (2002) and My Name is Gary Cooper (2007), produced and staged by Auckland Theatre Company and starred a Samoan cast including Robbie Magasiva, Anapela Polataivao, Goretti Chadwick and Kiwi actress Jennifer Ward-Lealand.

Kirk Torrance is an actor and playwright from New Zealand, best known for his role as Wayne Judd in Outrageous Fortune. He is also a former Commonwealth Games swimmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel House (actress)</span> New Zealand actress and director

Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House is a New Zealand actress, comedian, director and acting coach. She is best known for her starring in the films Whale Rider (2002), Boy (2010), White Lies (2013), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Moana (2016), and Soul (2020). She is currently a series regular on the 2022 reboot of Heartbreak High as Principal Stacy "Woodsy" Woods, and recurring in the New Zealand Dark comedy-drama Creamerie as Doc Harvey. She is also a regular fixture of New Zealand theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Samuel</span> New Zealand writer, actor and director

Fiona Samuel is a New Zealand writer, actor and director who was born in Scotland. Samuel's award-winning career spans theatre, film, radio and television. She graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1980 with a Diploma in Acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Randerson</span> New Zealand writer, director, and performer

Joanna Ruth Randerson is a New Zealand writer, director and performer. She is the founder and artistic director of Barbarian Productions, a Wellington-based theatre production company.

Anapela Polataivao is a New Zealand actor, writer, and director of stage and screen.

Ahilan Karunaharan is writer, director, actor and producer of Sri Lankan descent from New Zealand. He is a recipient of the New Zealand Arts Laureate Award.

Kila Kokonut Krew is a theatre company and music producer in Auckland, New Zealand. They have produced 12 music albums, a web series, a TV skit series as well as theatre productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Meek (playwright)</span> Actor and playwright in New Zealand

Arthur Meek, born in 1981, is a New Zealand playwright and actor. He is a graduate of Theatre Studies at Otago University and of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. He graduated from Toi Whakaari with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in 2006.

Mitch Tawhi Thomas is a New Zealand playwright, actor and drama teacher.

Justine Simei-Barton is a Samoan theatre and film director and producer in New Zealand.

Suli Moa is a New Zealand playwright, actor, screenwriter and teacher of Tongan descent. He wrote and performed the first Tongan Play in New Zealand, Kingdom of Lote. As a playwright Moa has been awarded the Adam New Zealand Play Award for Best Pacific Play, 12th Round (2016), and Tales of a Princess (2018). Moa's acting credits include A love yarn (2021) andSweet Tooth (2021). His writing credits include The Panthers (2021) and Shortland Street (2021-2022). Moa has also appeared in multiple short films as an actor and served as a cultural advisor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanaki Prescott-Faletau</span>

Amanaki Lelei Prescott-Faletau is an actor, writer, dancer, choreographer, producer and director of Tongan descent, living in New Zealand. As a playwright, she became the first fakaleitī to have her work published in New Zealand with Inky Pinky Ponky. This play was awarded Best Teenage Script (2015) by New Zealand Playmarket. As an actor, she was awarded best performance at the 2015 Auckland Fringe Festival for Victor Rodger's Girl on the Corner. Her acting credits include The Breaker Upperers (2018), SIS (2020), The Panthers (2021), The Pact (2021) and Sui Generis (2022), in which she is also a writer for the TV series. Faletau competed as a dancer in the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in 2011 and has been a judge at the National Hip Hop Championships in New Zealand over several years.

Leki Jackson-Bourke is a playwright based out of Auckland and is the first Pasifika playwright to win the Creative New Zealand Todd New Writer’s Bursary Grant in 2018.

Leon Wadham is a New Zealand actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles in the film Under the Mountain (2009), comedy series Go Girls (2013) and the Amazon Prime fantasy show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022).

References

  1. 1 2 "All-Tongan cast in pioneer bilingual drama series in NZ". RNZ. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. "Vela Manusaute". Little Island Press. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  3. "Graduate". www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Vela Manusaute". NZ on Screen. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  5. "Vela Manusaute's Biography". The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  6. "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.