Matasila Freshwater, from Solomon Island heritage, is a Wellington director with a background in animation, anthropology and design. Growing up, Matasila struggled to find her own experiences of the world reflected back at her through the media she consumed. Now, with the aim of forging a sustainable career in the arts, Matasila is passionate about exploring the relationship between culture and selfhood. As a springboard recipient, Matasila is currently working on her first solo film feature, and will be using this package as an opportunity to work full time on her creative endeavours. Having the support of an experienced filmmaker from the Arts Foundation alumni will enable her to further develop her distinctive knack for storytelling. One. To. Watch.

Matasila will be mentored by Tusi Tamasese

Tusi Tamasese has had notable success with his film work, and is perhaps best known for Samoan language film, The Orator. The film received recognition at the 2011 Venice Film Festival, including two awards and a special mention from the jury. It was New Zealand’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film to the 84th Academy Awards.