Roseanne Liang is a New Zealand film director. Her first feature film, '' My Wedding and Other Secrets'', was the first theatrically released feature film made by a Chinese New Zealander and became 2011's highest grossing local feature film. She also co-created, directed, and co-wrote the 2021 TV series ''

Creamerie ''Creamerie'' is a black comedy web series from New Zealand that launched in 2021 on TVNZ OnDemand. It explores a world in which nearly all men have died from a virus, and three friends, played by Perlina Lau, J.J. Fong, and Ally Xue, run a da ...

''.

Early life

Liang was born in New Zealand to Hong Kong emigrants. Her parents were doctors, one was a pediatrician and the other a surgeon. She has two sisters. Liang attended St Cuthbert's College, Auckland, and was

dux ''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...

of the school in 1995. She went on to study computer science at the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. She graduated with a Masters in Creative and Performing Arts in 2003.

Career

Liang made her directorial debut with the autobiographical documentary film ''Banana in a Nutshell'' (2005), which was about her own cross-cultural romance with a

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New Z ...

. The film won Best Documentary at DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival. Liang won Best Director of Documentary Films at Asian Festival of First Films. The film was screened at

New Zealand International Film Festival New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

2005, where she met John Barnett, a producer from

South Pacific Pictures South Pacific Pictures is a New Zealand television production company. The company produces drama series, mini-series, telemovies and feature films for the domestic market and international market. SPP's largest property is ''Shortland Street'' ...

, who requested a feature length adaptation of the documentary. That project later became the romantic comedy '' My Wedding and Other Secrets'' (2011). The film won Best Actress and Best Screenplay Award for a feature film at the

Aotearoa Film & Television Awards New Zealand film and television awards have gone by many different names and have been organised by different industry groups. As of 2017, New Zealand has relaunched a standalone New Zealand Television Awards after a five-year hiatus. The film awar ...

. Liang also directed the short film ''Take 3'', which won awards in 2007 at the Berlin and Valladolid Film Festivals, and the hit web series '' Flat3'' and ''Friday Night Bites''. In 2008, she was awarded

Women in Film and Television International Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI) is a global network of non-profit membership chapters. Established in 1997, it is dedicated to advancing professional development and achievement for women working in all areas of film, video, and ot ...

's Woman to Watch Award for Women in Film and Television. Liang is a part of the Thousand Apologies Collective, a creative cohort of seven writers and filmmakers based in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand, which includes Shuchi Kothari and Serina Pearson. They made their television debut with their pan-Asian sketch comedy series ''A Thousand Apologies'' on TV3, New Zealand's first prime time Asian program. Kothari and Liang later cofounded the Pan-Asian Screen Collective with others in August 2018 to support Asian filmmakers in New Zealand. In 2017, she directed a short film ''Do No Harm,'' which was selected to be shown at the Manhattan Short film festival and the

2017 Sundance Film Festival The 2017 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to January 29, 2017. The first lineup of competition films was announced November 30, 2016. Awards The following awards were presented: * Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic – ''I Don't Feel at ...

. In 2020, Liang directed and co-wrote ''

Shadow in the Cloud ''Shadow in the Cloud'' is a 2020 action horror film directed by Roseanne Liang, from a screenplay by Liang and Max Landis, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Beulah Koale , Taylor John Smith, Callan Mulvey and Nick Robinson. It follows a female ...

'', a WWII action-horror film, starring Chloë Grace Moretz from a story treatment by Max Landis. It debuted at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award.

Filmography

Short film Feature film Television Web series

Personal life

Liang is married to Stephen Harris, the subject of ''Banana in a Nutshell.'' They have two children.

Accolades

* SPADA New Filmmaker of the Year (2005) * Best Director of Documentary Films — Asian Festival of First Films * Peter Blake (sailor), Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award (2012)

References

External links

*
Interview about ''My Wedding and Other Secrets''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liang, Roseanne Living people New Zealand film directors New Zealand people of Chinese descent New Zealand women film directors Year of birth missing (living people)