Don Selwyn
Encyclopedia
Don C. Selwyn was a Maori actor
and film director
from New Zealand
. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Maori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film The Merchant of Venice
, the first Maori language
feature film with English subtitle
s.
Born of Ngati Kuri
and Te Aupouri
descent, Selwyn grew up in Taumarunui
and began his professional life as a teacher. In 1984 he began a film and television training course for Maori and Pacific Islanders. In 1992 he co-founded He Taonga Films. In 2007 the Arts Foundation of New Zealand
selected him for an Icon Award, which was awarded to him privately shortly before he died.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Maori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film The Merchant of Venice
The Maori Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice , also known as The Maori Merchant of Venice, is a 2002 New Zealand drama film in the Māori language , directed by Don Selwyn.-Production:...
, the first Maori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
feature film with English subtitle
Subtitle (captioning)
Subtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added...
s.
Born of Ngati Kuri
Ngati Kuri
Ngāti Kurī is a Māori iwi from Northland, New Zealand.Ngāti Kurī trace their ancestry to Pōhurihanga, the captain of the waka Kurahaupō. Kurī means dog in Māori.-External links:*...
and Te Aupouri
Te Aupouri
Te Aupōuri is the northernmost Māori iwi , located north of Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand, a region known as the Aupouri Peninsula.-The ancestral legend:...
descent, Selwyn grew up in Taumarunui
Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
and began his professional life as a teacher. In 1984 he began a film and television training course for Maori and Pacific Islanders. In 1992 he co-founded He Taonga Films. In 2007 the Arts Foundation of New Zealand
Arts Foundation of New Zealand
A facilitator of private philanthropy, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand supports artistic excellence through its permanent Endowment Fund. Legacies and donations help grow the Fund, with income generated enabling the Foundation to support the arts....
selected him for an Icon Award, which was awarded to him privately shortly before he died.