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AprilPhillips

  • Actor
  • Writer
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British-born but long based in New Zealand, April Phillips has acted on television and film, and created a number of award-winning short films. She both wrote and starred in shorts Letter for Hope and Utu Pihikete, then stepped up to directing with 2016's REM. The horror tale won screenings and awards at a number of global film festivals. Phillips has a Masters in Scriptwriting from Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters. Her extensive CV of theatre work includes another award-winner, 2015 ensemble drama Motel. Her comic play STiFF has had seasons in Auckland, London and Melbourne.

Screenography

1978
2023 Co-Director , Writer, Producer Film
2021 Writer Short film
2019 Director, Writer, As: Prime Minister Short film
2016 Director, Writer, Producer, As: Gail Morris Short film
Passion in Paradise
2014 As: Mary King Television

Awards

2017 Short Film Awards (United States)
Best Director of a Narrative, Dramatic or Comedic Short Film: for REM
Nominated for Best Narrative Short Film: REM
Nominated for Best Writing: for REM
Nominated for Best Actress: for REM

“It’s fun and fascinating to step back in time and feel what it was like to live in pioneering times that were physically arduous, often lonely, and at times frightening.”

April Phillips, on writing and starring in colonial-era short film Utu Pihikete