Don Charles Selwyn (22 November 1935 – 13 April 2007) was a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

actor and filmmaker from New Zealand. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Māori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film '' Te tangata whai rawa o Weneti (The Maori Merchant of Venice)'', the first

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

feature film with English

subtitle Subtitles are texts representing the contents of the audio in a film, television show, opera or other audiovisual media. Subtitles might provide a transcription or translation of spoken dialogue. Although naming conventions can vary, caption ...

Life

Born of

Ngāti Kurī Ngāti Kurī is a Māori people, Māori iwi from Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of the five Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Ngāti Kurī trace their whakapapa (ancestry) back to Pōhurihanga, the ca ...

and

Te Aupōuri Te Aupōuri is the second northernmost Māori iwi (tribal group), located north of Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand, a region known as the Te Hiku o te Ika. The iwi is one of the six Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. The ...

descent, Selwyn grew up in

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

and began his professional life as a teacher. In 1967, Selwyn acted in ''The Golden Lover'' at

Downstage Theatre Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Colin ...

directed by Richard Campion alongside

Wi Kuki Kaa Wi Kuki Kaa (16 December 1938 – 19 February 2006) was a New Zealand actor in film, theatre and television. Career Kaa featured in many films, including the lead role of Iwi in '' Ngati'' (1987), written by Tama Poata and directed by Barry ...

and Bob Hirini. Also on stage produced by Downstage Theatre and directed by Campion and designed by Raymond Boyce, Selwyn was in ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' with a cast of 17 including

Peter Vere-Jones Peter Vere-Jones (21 October 1939 – 26 January 2021) was an English-born-New Zealand actor. He was known for his collaborations with director Peter Jackson, appearing in four of his films. He was also known for starring in the New Zealand tel ...

and Elric Hooper in 1976. It was so popular it transferred to the

Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

. He appeared in an episode of

Ngaio Marsh Theatre The Ngaio Marsh Theatre is a theatre at the University of Canterbury Students' Association in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Ngaio Marsh theatre was named in honour of Dame Ngaio Marsh, who was a director and patron of theatre, especially Shak ...

in 1977. In 1984, he began a film and television training course for Māori and Pacific Islanders ''He Taonga i Tawhiti (Gifts from Afar)''. In 1992 Ruth Kaupua Panapa and Selwyn co-founded He Taonga Films. ''Te tangata whai rawa o Weneti (The Maori Merchant of Venice)'' (2002) directed by Selwyn was the first

feature film, it was produced by He Taonga Films. He had previously staged it as a play in 1990 at the Koanga Festival. It had been translated from Shakespeare's

Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

Pei Te Hurinui Jones Pei Te Hurinui Jones (9 September 1898 – 7 May 1976) was a Māori political leader, writer, genealogist, and historian. As a leader of the Tainui tribal confederation and of the Māori King Movement, he participated in negotiations with t ...

in 1945. The film was produced to upskill Māori in the film industry. Don Selwyn honorary doctorate capping

In the

1999 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1999 for various Commonwealth realms were announced on 30 December 1998, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1999. The ''Honours list'' is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various orders, d ...

, Selwyn was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

, for services to theatre, film and television. He was conferred an honorary DLit degree by

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

in 2002. In 2003, at the

New Zealand Film 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 awa ...

, Selwyn was presented with a lifetime achievement award. In 2007, the

Arts Foundation of New Zealand The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The foundatio ...

selected him for an Icon Award, which was awarded to him privately shortly before he died.

Selected filmography

* '' Rangi's Catch'' (1973) as Mr. Rukuhia * '' Sleeping Dogs'' (1977) as Taupiri * ''

Came a Hot Friday ''Came a Hot Friday'' is a 1985 New Zealand comedy film, based on the 1964 novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Directed and co-written by Ian Mune, it became one of the most successful local films released in New Zealand in the 1980s. The film's c ...

'' (1985) as Norm * ''

My Letter to George ''Mesmerized'' (also known as ''Shocked'' and ''My Letter to George'') is a 1985 drama film directed by Michael Laughlin and starring Jodie Foster, John Lithgow and Michael Murphy.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970–1995'', ...

'' (1986) as Joseph * ''

The Last Tattoo ''The Last Tattoo'' is a 1994 feature film set in World War II-era Wellington, New Zealand. Plot While tracking down cases of venereal disease associated with a local prostitute, Kelly Towne, a public health nurse, meets U.S. Marine Captain ...

'' (1994) as Bill Davin * ''Te tangata whai rawa o Weneti (The Maori Merchant of Venice)'' (2002) - director

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selwyn, Don 1935 births 2007 deaths New Zealand male Māori actors New Zealand film directors New Zealand male film actors Indigenous filmmakers in New Zealand Te Aupōuri people Ngāti Kurī people Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit People from Taumarunui Māori-language film directors