SimaUrale
- Director
Sima Urale, Samoa’s first female filmmaker, has brought touching stories of Pacific peoples to the screen, often from an outsider’s point of view. Urale credits her film success to determination and dealing with social issues close to her heart. Her lauded short films (O Tamaiti, Still Life) were followed by her 2008 feature debut Apron Strings. Urale has also spent time as head tutor at Wellington's NZ Film and Television School.
Screenography
Biography
As a visual storyteller, Sima Urale holds onto the Samoan oral tradition of storytelling or fagogo, and adds a contemporary twist. In telling Pacific stories, she is influenced by her Samoan heritage, and the experience of living in urban Aotearoa. Urale's experience as an actor has also proven invaluable in her directing career.
Awards
2022 Women in Film and Television Awards (New Zealand)
Tautai Award for Moana Excellence in the Screen Industry
2019 New Zealand Film Commission Gender Scholarship
2019 Arts Foundation Laureate Award
“I always strive to make a film that says what I want it to say. If I didn’t have anything to say, I wouldn’t make films.”
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