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Paula Whetu Jones

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Paula Whetu Jones
Born1971 or 1972[1]
Occupation(s)Film producer, writer

Paula Whetu Jones is a New Zealand film director and writer. She is best known for her 2003 documentary Gang Girls, the 2020 comedy series I Date Rejects, and the 2022 feature film Whina, a biopic on the life of Dame Whina Cooper.

Biography

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Jones is of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Whakatōhea, and Ngāti Porou descent.[1] She was raised in Hastings,[2] and spent her early career making documentaries.[1] Her 2003 documentary on the lives of New Zealand women in gangs won Best Television Documentary at the 2003 Qantas Media Awards, and was nominated for best documentary at the 2003 New Zealand Television Awards.[3] In 2016 she completed a master's degree in creative writing from Auckland University of Technology.[4]

In 2017, Jones was one of the writers and directors of the anthology film Waru,[1] and in 2019 produced the short films A Matter of Time and Yellow Roses.[5] The following year, Jones directed and wrote the TVNZ comedy I Date Rejects.[1]

Paula Whetu Jones is a co-director of the feature film Whina, a biopic detailing the life of Dame Whina Cooper. Jones was initially approached to become a producer of Whina, but connected so strongly with Cooper's story that she asked to become a greater part of the production, becoming one of the film's cowriters and codirectors.[1]

Jones is working on a television series based on her experiences at the Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch.[1]

Personal life

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Jones is a mother to three children.[1] In 2010 she became paralysed from the waist down due to idiopathic transverse myelitis.[1]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Director Writer Notes
2017 Waru Yes Yes Anthology film
2019 A Matter of Time Yes Yes Short film
2019 Yellow Roses Yes Yes Short film
2022 Whina Yes Yes

Television

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Year Title Director Writer Notes
2003 Gang Girls Yes No Television documentary
2003 The Hidden Yes No Television documentary, also producer
2006 Attitude Yes No
2009 Once Bitten Yes No Television documentary film
2020 I Date Rejects Yes Yes

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Awarau, Aroha (13 June 2022). "Director Paula Whetu Jones on telling Dame Whina's story". Woman Magazine. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Paula Whetu Jones". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Gang Girls: Awards". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. ^ Jones, Paula Whetu (2016). The Protagonist’s “Character Arc”, the Rise and Fall, and All That Lies Between (Master of Creative Writing thesis). Auckland University of Technology.
  5. ^ "Paula Whetu Jones". New Zealand Film Commission. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
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