I am a San Francisco-based screenwriter specializing in female-driven dramas.

My first name is Veialu (pronounced "Vey-ah-loo"), you can also call me Lulu.

I meditate.

I plant trees for fun.

I have three university degrees.

29 is the number of countries I've traveled to and 6 of them I've lived in.

A "punnet" is what you get strawberries in where I'm from.

Laughter is that thing that happens when I see a dog trying to run in tiny red stilettos.

I’ve watched more films and series than is probably medically advisable.

My homelands are New Zealand and Papua New Guinea (I am indigenous PNG).

I believe films are where we negotiate our humanity. They connect us.

I love writing female-driven, historical dramas but I also relish contemporary underdog stories, social justice stories, and writing underrepresented characters.

I've worked in the industry for 20 years, mainly in Australia and New Zealand as an award-winning television promo (trailer) producer, director, and editor. I've also written and directed shorts and commercials.

The short film I directed, produced, wrote and illustrated, BLUE WILLOW, screened at the Berlin Film Festival and over 27 festivals worldwide.

VIEW BLUE WILLOW CLIP

1/2

The writer has a very strong voice and professional style. I especially liked the writer's ability to put the audience into a superior position.

WAR DANCER, "Recommend" in coverage from ExtremeScreenwriting.com

HISTORICAL DRAMA

WAR DANCER

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

NARRATIVE FEATURE

AVAILABLE

Inspired by true events, a 17-year-old girl, forced into an arranged marriage, secretly defies her family to be a dancer, falls in love, and must escape the Japanese invasion of Burma WWII.

REVIEWS

"Recommend" in script coverage from ExtremeScreenwriting.com
Placed among Top 10% of all entries in the 2020 Academy Nicholl Fellowship
Placed as a 'Second Rounder' (Top 20%) in the 2020 Austin Film Festival Script Competition
Top 100 Finalist LaunchPad Feature Competition 2020
8/10 evaluation on The Black List site

BACKGROUND

While living in India, I heard true stories about my husband's family escaping persecution in Burma during WWII.

HISTORICAL DRAMA

THE DEFIANT ONE

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

NARRATIVE FEATURE

AVAILABLE

Inspired by true events, on a Pacific Island colony, an indigenous girl must protect her adult brother from being executed by racist colonists.

REVIEWS

"Recommend" in script coverage from ExtremeScreenwriting.com
Top 5 finalist in the 2019 New Zealand Writers Guild Seed Development Fund
Selected for Round 2 of the 2019 Sundance Development Track

BACKGROUND

I am a biracial, Papua New Guinean-New Zealand woman. Growing up, my Bubu (grandfather) feared that his only-son would be killed for having a relationship with my mother, a white woman. Why was he so afraid? THE DEFIANT ONE answers this question.

WRITING ON ASSIGNMENT

If you're looking for someone with a fresh voice, a good pair of listening ears and top notch writing skills, you've come to the right place. I'd love the opportunity to pitch my take on your idea.

Not sure? Let's talk about it.

Email me at or connect with me on Linkedin.

MY SPECIALTY

Dramas with strong female protagonists.

MY GENRES

Drama, Historical, True Stories, Indigenous

FOR 20 YEARS...

I was fortunate to learn about filmmaking and storytelling on the job by writing, producing, directing, and editing hundreds of network television promos, as well as making a bunch of short films and directing theater projects.

I also studied storytelling at university (three degrees in Scriptwriting, Theater Directing, and Communication Studies), and also screenwriting at ScreenwritingU school.

This experience taught me the value of visual storytelling, the importance of teamwork, and how to be creative on-demand (often with tight-deadlines).

Here are some examples of my work, from big-budget television campaigns in Australia to small nonprofit short films in India: