Toa Fraser
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Toa Fraser (born 1975) is a New Zealand born playwright and film director, of Fijian heritage. His first feature film, '' No. 2'', starring Ruby Dee won the Audience Award (World Dramatic) at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. His second, ''
Dean Spanley ''Dean Spanley'' is a 2008 British comedy drama film, with fantastic elements, directed by Fijian New Zealander Toa Fraser. Set in Edwardian England, the film is based on an Alan Sharp adaptation of Irish author Lord Dunsany's 1936 novella ''My T ...
'', starring
Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...
,
Jeremy Northam Jeremy Philip Northam (born 1 December 1961) is an English actor and singer. After a number of television roles, he earned attention as Mr. Knightley in the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen's '' Emma''. He has appeared in the films ''An Idea ...
and Peter O'Toole, premiered in September 2008. His third film '' Giselle'' was selected to be screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. His fourth, '' The Dead Lands'', a Maori action-adventure film, was released in 2014.


Life

Fraser moved to
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 ...
in 1989. He attended Sacred Heart College, Auckland and is a graduate of 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 ...
. His father is Eugene Fraser who has worked for both the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and many other radio and TV stations across the world as a radio continuity presenter. In April 2021, Fraser announced via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that he had been diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's disease in 2016.


Career

His career proved a stellar one from early on. In 1998 he picked up awards for Best New Play (''Bare'') and Best New Playwright at the Chapman Tripp theatre awards. Toa received invaluable assistance from Michael Robinson who workshopped the play through many drafts before directing it at The Silo theatre in Auckland. The two-hander saw Ian Hughes and
Madeleine Sami Madeleine Nalini Sami is a New Zealand actress, director, comedian and musician. She started her acting career in theatre before moving to television, where she created, wrote, and starred in ''Super City''. She co-wrote, co-directed, and starr ...
playing an array of 15 characters. '' Metro'' magazine called it "an instant classic". In 1999 he won the Sunday Star Times Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. The play toured internationally and enjoyed a sell out season at the Sydney Opera House. It was his second play, ''No. 2'' (1999) that catapulted him (and Sami) to fame, winning the Festival First Award at the 2000 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, alongside performances in Europe, Canada, Jamaica and Fiji. Set over the course of one day, as an elderly Fijian matriarch demands a family feast so she can choose her successor, the play saw Sami playing every role. In 2000, Fraser worked for a year with director Vincent Ward on the screenplay for Ward's film ''River Queen''. In the same period, he co-wrote a one-hour TV drama ''Staunch'', with director Keith Hunter. It's the story of a young Maori woman ('' Once Were Warriors'' ' Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell) defending herself against an unfair police prosecution, with the help of a social worker. In 2001, Fraser was awarded the University of South Pacific's Writer in Residence Fellowship. There in Fiji, he began work on the film adaptation of ''No. 2'', a process that would take four years and an estimated 20 drafts. He had never directed a play or film before, but was determined to direct ''No. 2'' – partly "out of a sense of responsibility to the Pacific community" – particularly the working class suburb of
Mount Roskill Mount Roskill is a suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is named for the volcanic peak Puketāpapa (commonly called "Mount Roskill" in English). Description The suburb, named after the Mount, is located seven kilometres to ...
, where most of the film was shot. He also directed the video for the film's hit song " Bathe In the River" sung by Hollie Smith at the Mount Roskill house of relatives. When ''No. 2'' debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, it won the Audience Award (World Cinema Dramatic). Re-titled Naming Number Two in some territories, the film won selection in the Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival and won the Audience award at the Brisbane International Film Festival. The late Ruby Dee, who played family matriarch Nanna Maria, was awarded Best Actress at the 2006
Atlanta Film Festival The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is a long-running, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a ...
. In the same year at the New Zealand Screen Awards ''No. 2'' was nominated in 12 categories, including best film and best director, and won four awards, three of them for performance, including Best Actress for Ruby Dee. In 2008, Fraser directed his multi award-winning second feature, ''
Dean Spanley ''Dean Spanley'' is a 2008 British comedy drama film, with fantastic elements, directed by Fijian New Zealander Toa Fraser. Set in Edwardian England, the film is based on an Alan Sharp adaptation of Irish author Lord Dunsany's 1936 novella ''My T ...
'', produced by Matthew Metcalfe and starring
Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...
,
Jeremy Northam Jeremy Philip Northam (born 1 December 1961) is an English actor and singer. After a number of television roles, he earned attention as Mr. Knightley in the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen's '' Emma''. He has appeared in the films ''An Idea ...
and Peter O'Toole. A whimsical tale of fathers, sons, dogs, and other lives set in Edwardian England, it received critical acclaim and premiered at a Gala Screening at the 2008
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
. ''Dean Spanley'' was nominated for 12 awards at the 2009 Qantas Film and Television Awards. It went on to win seven, including best director, best film costing more than $1 million, best screenplay, and best supporting actor ( Peter O'Toole). Next, Fraser wrote and directed ''Giselle'', also produced by Matthew Metcalfe, an acclaimed filmed ballet starring world-renowned dancers
Gillian Murphy Gillian Murphy ( ; born April 11, 1979) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Early life and education Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Murphy was a member of Columbia City Ballet before at ...
and Qi Huan. Fraser's interpretation of the Royal New Zealand Ballet's production of Giselle, featuring a score performed by the
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) is a symphony orchestra based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its principal concert venue is the Auckland Town Hall. The APO is the accompanying ensemble for performances by NZ Opera and the Royal New Zeal ...
, Giselle premiered at the 2013 New Zealand International Film Festival, followed by an international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. His fourth film, ''The Dead Lands'', was released in 2014. Starring James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare and Te Kohe Tuhaka, it is the story of a young boy who seeks revenge for the slaughter of his family. Entirely in the Maori language, the film is produced again by Matthew Metcalfe and marks Fraser's fourth collaboration with cinematographer Leon Narbey.


Plays

* ''BARE'' (1998) * ''No. 2'' (1999) * ''Paradise'' (2001)


Musicals

* ''Feedback'' (2002) (with
Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...
)


Films

* '' River Queen'' (2005) (screenplay – co-writer with Vincent Ward) * '' No. 2'' (2006) (writer and director) * ''
Dean Spanley ''Dean Spanley'' is a 2008 British comedy drama film, with fantastic elements, directed by Fijian New Zealander Toa Fraser. Set in Edwardian England, the film is based on an Alan Sharp adaptation of Irish author Lord Dunsany's 1936 novella ''My T ...
'' (2008) (director), screenwriter
Alan Sharp Alan Sharp (12 January 1934 – 8 February 2013) was a Scottish novelist and screenwriter. He published two novels in the 1960s, and subsequently wrote the screenplays for about twenty films, mostly produced in the United States. According to ...
from the novel by Lord Dunsany * '' Giselle'' (2013) (director) * '' The Dead Lands'' (2014) (director) * '' The Chancellor Manuscript'' (2014) (director) from the novel by
Robert Ludlum Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original '' The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated b ...
* '' 6 Days'' (2017) (director)


Television

* ''
Penny Dreadful Penny dreadfuls were cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the United Kingdom. The pejorative term is roughly interchangeable with penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. The term typically referred to ...
'' (2016) (director) * ''
The Shannara Chronicles ''The Shannara Chronicles'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. It is an adaptation of ''The Sword of Shannara'' trilogy of fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. It follows three heroes as they pro ...
'' (2017) (director) * '' Into the Badlands'' (2017–18) (director) * '' Marvel's Iron Fist'' (2018) (director) * '' Marvel's Daredevil'' (2018) (director) * '' The Rookie'' (2018) (director) * ''
Tidelands Tidelands are the territory between the tide line of sea coasts, and lands lying under the sea beyond the low-water limit of the tide, considered within the territorial waters of a nation. The United States Constitution does not specify whether ...
'' (2018) (director) * ''
Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations in v ...
'' (2019) (director) * '' Wu Assassins'' (2019) (director) * ''
The Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
'' (2019) (director) * '' The Affair'' (2019) (director) * ''
Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...
'' (2019) (director) * '' The Rookie'' (2019) (director) * '' Deputy'' (2020) (director) * '' Stargirl'' (2020) (director) * '' Sweet Tooth'' (2021) (director)


Music video

* " Bathe In the River"


Awards

*Best New Play and Best New Playwright, New Zealand Chapman Tripp Awards, 1998 *Sunday Star Times Bruce Mason Award, 1999 *Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2000: for the play version of ''No. 2'' * University of South Pacific's Writer in Residence Fellowship, 2001 *The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival, January 2006 *Inducted to Arts Honours Board, Sacred Heart College, Auckland, September 2006 (along with, amongst others,
Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...
and
Dave Dobbyn Sir David Joseph Dobbyn (born 3 January 1957) is a New Zealand musician, singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then ...
) *Best Director, Feature Film, Qantas Film and Television Awards 2009 (''Dean Spanley'') *Best Film, Qantas Film and Television Awards 2009 (''Dean Spanley'') *Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer's Residency, Hawai'i 2009 *Young Alumnus of the Year, The University of Auckland 2009 *Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship 2003 *TV Guide New Zealand Television Awards, Best Script, Drama 2002 (''Staunch'') *Chapman Tripp Theatre Award – Outstanding New Zealand Play 2000 (''No. 2'')


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Toa 1975 births Living people New Zealand film directors New Zealand screenwriters Male screenwriters New Zealand people of Fijian descent 21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights University of Auckland alumni People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights 21st-century screenwriters Māori-language film directors