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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 Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...
, premiered in September 2008. His third film ''
Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
'' was selected to be screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the
2013 Toronto International Film Festival The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. '' The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and '' Life of Crime'' was the closing film. 75 films were ...
. His fourth, ''
The Dead Lands ''The Dead Lands'' is a 2014 New Zealand action film directed by Toa Fraser. It was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it had its world premier on 4 September 2014. It was selected ...
'', 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 List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
in 1989. He attended
Sacred Heart College, Auckland , motto_translation = Take Courage And Act Manfully , type = State-integrated Day & boarding Secondary school , religion = Roman Catholic Marist , gender = Boys-only , patr ...
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 Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
'' magazine called it "an instant classic". In 1999 he won the Sunday Star Times
Bruce Mason Playwriting Award The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is an annual award that recognises the work of an outstanding emerging New Zealand playwright. The winner is decided by the votes of a panel of leading New Zealand artistic directors and script advisors. The ...
. 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 The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
, 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 ''Once Were Warriors'' is New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling first novel, published in 1990. It tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and portrays the reality of domestic violence in New Zealand. It was the basis of a 1 ...
'' ' 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 The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...
'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 "Bathe in the River" is a single released by New Zealand supergroup Mt Preservation Society featuring New Zealand soul singer Hollie Smith. It appears on the soundtrack for the 2006 New Zealand film '' No. 2''. The single peaked at No. 2 on t ...
" sung by
Hollie Smith Hollie Smith (born 17 November 1982) is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her four solo albums ''Long Player, Humour and the Misfortune of Others, Water or Gold,'' and ''Coming In From The Dark'' have all reach ...
at the Mount Roskill house of relatives. When ''No. 2'' debuted at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
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 Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, doc ...
. 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 Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...
. 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 permane ...
. ''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 Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...
). 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 James Rolleston (born 8 June 1997) is a New Zealand actor known for the films ''Boy'' and '' The Dark Horse''. The latter was released in October 2014 and had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 4 September. Fil ...
,
Lawrence Makoare Lawrence Makoare (born 20 March 1968) is a New Zealand Māori actor. He is most known for his roles in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series as several prominent antagonists, including Lurtz the Uruk-Hai and the Witch King of Angmar. Career Ma ...
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 Leon Gordon Alexander Narbey (born 2 August 1947) is a New Zealand cinematographer. Born in Helensville, Narbey was educated at the Elam School of Fine Arts, specialising in sculpture. Married Anita Janske Narbey (1944 - 2019) in 1966 and they h ...
.


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 ''River Queen'' is a 2005 New Zealand-British war drama film directed by Vincent Ward and starring Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis, Temuera Morrison and Stephen Rea. The film opened to mixed reviews but performed well at t ...
'' (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 ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
'' (2013) (director) * ''
The Dead Lands ''The Dead Lands'' is a 2014 New Zealand action film directed by Toa Fraser. It was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it had its world premier on 4 September 2014. It was selected ...
'' (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 ''Marvel's Daredevil'' is an American television series created by Drew Goddard for the streaming service Netflix, based on the Marvel Comics character Daredevil. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), acknowledging the continuity of ...
'' (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 List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...
'' (2019) (director) * ''
Wu Assassins ''Wu Assassins'' is an American supernatural action streaming television series, created by John Wirth and Tony Krantz that premiered on Netflix on August 8, 2019. The series stars Iko Uwais, Byron Mann, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, Celia Au, Li ...
'' (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 Ga ...
'' (2019) (director) * '' The Rookie'' (2019) (director) * ''
Deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...
'' (2020) (director) * '' Stargirl'' (2020) (director) * '' Sweet Tooth'' (2021) (director)


Music video

* "
Bathe In the River "Bathe in the River" is a single released by New Zealand supergroup Mt Preservation Society featuring New Zealand soul singer Hollie Smith. It appears on the soundtrack for the 2006 New Zealand film '' No. 2''. The single peaked at No. 2 on t ...
"


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 The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
, 2000: for the play version of ''No. 2'' *
University of South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...
's Writer in Residence Fellowship, 2001 *The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic,
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
, January 2006 *Inducted to Arts Honours Board,
Sacred Heart College, Auckland , motto_translation = Take Courage And Act Manfully , type = State-integrated Day & boarding Secondary school , religion = Roman Catholic Marist , gender = Boys-only , patr ...
, 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 he ...
) *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