Tusi Tamasese Photo: Supplied
Tusi Tamasese spent 18 years in his native Samoa before moving to New Zealand and completing a double major in film and political science.
After shooting the 2009 short film Va Tapuia in Samoa with private funding, he directed his debut feature The Orator / O Le Tulafale (shot entirely in the Samoan language).
This tale of an outsider in conflict with his community scored multiple honours at the 2011 Venice Film Festival.
Tamasese's latest film is One Thousand Ropes. Set in Wellington, it's a tale of family and redemption and was invited to premiere at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival.
