Veialu Aila-Unsworth Indigenous filmmaker and Creative Producer

I acknowledge that I live on the land of First Nations People. I respectfully acknowledge the Gadigal and Cammeraygal peoples of the Eora Nation as the spiritual and traditional custodians of the lands, waters, and skies where I live. I recognise their continuing connection to this land, to culture, to community and to Country. I pay my deepest respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

I acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and European colonisation had a devastating impact on First Nations' communities and cultures. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were subjected to many terrible injustices, including massacre, violence, segregation, children forcibly taken, land taken, relocation onto missions and reserves, and cultural practices were denied and subsequently many were lost. I recognise the importance of telling the truth about Australian history and the ongoing impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Veialu (vay-ah-lu) is a writer, director & creative producer.

Papua New Guinea born. Aotearoa New Zealand raised. Gadigal Land / Sydney based.

My career spans film, television, scriptwriting, fiction writing, community journalism, and theatre.

Leaving my ancestral homeland as a child and growing up as the only Papua New Guinean kid in a small town ignited my passion for thought-provoking, female-led stories exploring identity, history, and underrepresented voices.

My latest film, Gazers, earned a Top 15 Finalist spot at Tropfest 2026 — out of 700 entries from 17 countries. My friend and collaborator Sze Lok Ho and I co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed this "joyful rebellion" against racial and sexist stereotypes, fueled by our own experiences of being fetishised.

My previous award-winning live-action and animated shorts have screened at 69 festivals, including Berlinale, imagineNATIVE, Māoriland, and Mill Valley.

I bring 20+ years as an award-winning creative producer, copywriter, editor, and promo director for Australia's biggest television networks, Nine and 10.

I've travelled to 34 countries (and counting!), living in Sydney, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Mumbai — where I directed doco-style shorts for MEWSIC INDIA, founded by Brett Lee.

Awards include the 2025 Faber Writing A Novel Scholarship, 2023 Armed With a Camera Fellowship (AWC), and my screenplay was selected for The Black List’s 2021 CAPE List. I mentored the 2024 AWC cohort in Los Angeles.

A passionate advocate for Indigenous cinema, I was a film festival screener for the 2024/2025 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and FESTPAC 2024.

I'm an alum of Berlinale Talents, International Institute of Modern Letters, Victoria University of Wellington, Auckland University of Technology, and Toi Whākaari New Zealand Drama School (Master's in Theatre Arts, Stage Directing).

When I'm not watching movies, I'm building elaborate blanket forts for my bossy cat and blog at @hollywood.diversity.

What I Do

"This story exposes a very talented writer with a strong and clear story to tell."

New Zealand Writers Guild about THE DEFIANT ONE

"What a great piece! This was truly a pleasure to read. From structure, character development, world-building, dialogue – everything worked together effortlessly to immerse the reader in this sweeping war time romance."

Austin Film Festival Script Contest about WAR DANCER

★★★★★

"Epic in scope and intimate in emotion, “War Dancer” is an exhilarating story of romance, defiance, and dance. 8/10"

Barb Doyle, Extreme Screenwriting LA

*Top 2-5% of scripts

★★★★★

Recommend* in script coverage - THE DEFIANT ONE

Recommend* in script coverage - WAR DANCER

The Black List Reader (blcklst.com)

2024 Wellington UNESCO Creative City of Film Best Film Award

★★★★★

2024 Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival