Dianna Fuemana (born 1973) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

writer, director and performer. She writes for theatre and screen. Her solo play ''Mapaki'' was the first that brought a New Zealand born

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

perspective to the professional stage. In 2008 Fuemana won the Pacific Innovation and Excellence Award, at the

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

Pasifika Arts Award. Fuemana was one of nine women writer-directors of the 2019 feature film ''Vai''.

Biography

Dianna Fuemana was born in New Zealand in 1973 and is one of seven children. Her mother is

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internation ...

n and her father Togavale is Niuean. The singer

Pauly Fuemana Paul Lawrence Fuemana (8 February 1969 – 31 January 2010) was a Niuean-New Zealand singer, songwriter and musician from Auckland. One of the first globally successful pioneers of his country's unique style of hip-hop, Fuemana was one of New Z ...

was her cousin. When she was a child she acted in church plays in her community. She went to Henderson High School in Auckland as a teenager, while she was there she attended a short course in performing arts run by Cath Cardiff and

Jay Laga'aia Jay Laga'aia (born 10 September 1963) is a New Zealand-Australian actor and singer. He is known internationally for his role as Captain Typho in the films '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' and '' Star Wars: Episode III – Reve ...

. In 2005 she graduated with honours with a Master of Creativity and Performing Arts from Auckland University.

Career

In 1997 Dianna Fuemana was one of three women acting in the play ''Frangipani Perfume'' written by

Makerita Urale Makerita Urale is a documentary director and playwright, and a leading figure in contemporary Polynesian theatre in New Zealand. She has produced landmark productions in the performing arts. She is the writer of the play ''Frangipani Perfume'', ...

and after this in 1999 Fuemana wrote and performed in her own play, a solo show called ''Mapaki.'' For this she was nominated at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for Outstanding New Writer and Best Upcoming Actress of the Year. After being performed in New Zealand ''Mapaki'' toured across the United States and in Athens, Greece. Her screen work includes writing and directing the short film ''Sunday Fun Day,'' which premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival and includes the perspective of a transgender teenager and a solo mother. She says of ''Sunday Fun Day'':

This story came from the feeling of ‘vulnerability,’ as a mother raising teens. From my experience, teens don’t really understand vulnerability from a mother’s perspective. We have a load of films in New Zealand that focus on the child’s perspective but not from the strength and humor of a mother’s.

Fuemana was one of nine writer-directors on the New Zealand Pacific Island feature film ''Vai'' released in 2019''.''

Plays

* 1999 - ''Mapaki'' - writer and performer * 2001 - ''Jingle Bells'' - writer * 2004 - ''The Packer'' - writer. Presentations include New Zealand, Australia, Edinburgh Fringe Festival * 2005 - ''My Mother Dreaming'' - writer * 2006 - ''Falemalama'' - writer * 2012 - ''Birds''

Screen

* ''Interrogation'' - TV - writer of episodes * ''Good Hands'' - TV - writer of episodes * ''Sunday Fun Day'' - short film - writer and director * ''Vai'' - (2019) - film - writer/director - made in sections this film is also directed by eight other Pasifika women filmmakers: Sharon and Nicole Whippy, Becs Arahanga, Amberley Jo Aumua, Matasila Freshwater, Mīria George, 'Ofa-ki Guttenbeil-Likiliki and Marina Alofagia McCartney.

Awards

2008 - Pacific Innovation and Excellence Award, Creative New Zealand Pasifika Arts Award.

Personal life

Dianna Fuemana has three children and has attracted media attention as the Wife of Jay Ryan. Her parents have been supportive of her career and her father wrote the song that opens her play ''Mapaki.'' Her father died in 2000 and she dedicated the Auckland season of ''Mapaki'' to him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuenamana, Dianna Living people New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 21st-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights New Zealand people of Niuean descent 1973 births