I was also interested in the possibility of shooting in Northern Queensland in Autralia (offers tax rebates and grants) as I have strong ties to Australia, having lived there on and off for 18 years and working in the industry there. Plus there is a Papua New Guinean community in Cairns, a city in Queensland.
SCREENWRITER
(SHE/HER)
VEIALU
AILA-UNSWORTH
I'M A FILM NERD
I meditate.
I have two master's degrees.
I once did a Goddess workshop in Egypt, journeyed overland from Tibet to India, and saw a ghost in Rome.
29 is the number of countries I've traveled to.
5 of them I've lived in.
A punnet is what you get berries in where I'm from.
I love film history so much I blog about it for fun.
I’ve watched more movies and series than is probably medically advisable.
I love plants, cats, dogs, dumplings, and biopics.
I recited poetry competitively as a kid.
My secret to finding flow? Lean into your intuition!
Leaving my Indigenous homeland as a child, taught me to be mentally tough and embrace the unknown.
Poet Hone Tuwhare, singer/songwriter Nina Simone, and author Anne Frank are my first storytelling heroes.
I believe self-love is the key to inner peace.
My sanctuaries: the beach, the cinema, ocean waves.
My name is Veialu (pronounced Vay-ah-loo).
I'm a screenwriter of mixed heritage from Papua New Guinea and Aotearoa/New Zealand, based in San Francisco, California which is the ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples. While I'm primarily a writer, I also direct some projects too.
As a screenwriter, I specialize in writing female-driven dramas, feature screenplays, and one-hour dramas.
My stories explore identity, history, and Females of Color finding their voice in the world.
The style of films and series I like to write are:
Hidden Figures, Pachinko, Moana, Whale Rider, The Color Purple, A United Kingdom, Gucci, Belle, Star Wars The Last Jedi, Bridgerton, I, Tonya, Pam & Tommy, Dirty Dancing, Hunger Games, Game of Thrones.
RECENT NEWS
My feature screenplay, The Defiant One, was selected for the 2021 CAPE List, a list of 10 screenplays centered on Asian and Pacific Islander stories.
I was also awarded the 2022-2023 Armed With a Camera Fellowship which supports media artists committed to social and political change.
Guardians of the River is a documentary I'm co-directing with production companies in Australia and New Zealand about an Indigenous activist in Papua New Guinea on a quest to protect a sacred river.
AND I INSTA BLOG
@hollywood.diversity profiles old Hollywood trailblazers
@united.we.rawr supports underrepresented filmmakers
MY BACKGROUND
I found my happy-place screenwriting after 15+ years in the game as an award-winning television creative director/producer and copywriter for Australia's largest television networks (Nine and Ten).
My specialties: Leading the creative development of campaigns for specific audience groups (including the launch of two TV channels and 100s of promo campaigns), having plenty of creative ideas, directing film shoots, and project managing campaigns through the entire production process from concept to launch.
I studied directing at New Zealand's national drama school (Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School), earned two master's degrees in Scriptwriting and Theater Arts, directed social impact shorts in Mumbai, and my playful animated short film screened at the Berlin Film Festival and 27 film festivals in 11 countries.
PRESS
May 6, 2022
Article from the 2022 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival introducing Veialu and the five other filmmakers chosen for the 2022-2023 Armed With A Camera Fellowship.
January 18, 2022
Article featuring a documentary film Veialu is co-directing: "The Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) has announced the 13 projects that will take part in The FACTory international pitching showcase for 2022."
November 17, 2021
Article featuring Veialu's feature screenplay THE DEFIANT ONE - "CAPE And The Black List Reveal Selected Scripts For The Third Annual CAPE List."