Writing
Fiona Samuel
Known for
Writing
Credits
20 titles
Fiona Samuel began as an actor, and filled the downtime with writing. She has gone on to write scripts, direct, co-host arts show The Big Art Trip, and act in everything from Close to Home to Footrot Flats. With 2011 TV movie Bliss, she became the only woman in over two decades to win awards for directing a New Zealand television drama. Samuel was born in Scotland: her parents were Kiwis travelling on their OE. While growing up in Christchurch, she was encouraged to enter speech and drama competitions by her "very clever and creative mother". As she says in this 2019 Funny As interview, Wellington drama school Toi Whakaari was "my plan A, B and C. I had no other plan." After graduating, she…
Known for
7.5American spy Jack Stiles teams with British agent Emilia Rothschild to thwart Napoleon's advances in the East Indies.
Jack of All Trades
2000
4.8When an Aussie cop couple trade their badges for a quiet life managing a beachside motel in New Zealand, they plan to leave police work behind them - that is until crime comes to them.
Blue Murder Motel
2026
6.6Featuring the characters from Murray Ball's "Footrot Flats" (New Zealands most beloved local cartoon strip), questions to be answered include: Will Wal Footrot win the affections of Cheeky Hobson over the sleazy Spit Murphy? Will the Dog win the affections of the lovely Jess? Will Wal make a good impression on the selectors at Saturday's rugby match? Can Rangi and Pongo save Cooch's prize stag from the depths of Blackwater Station, home of the Murphys, their vicious dogs and deadly croco-pigs? All this and more will be answered as the small town of Raupo comes to life on the big screen.
Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale
1986
6.5In the aftermath of an explosion that rocked the Pike River Mine and took the lives of 29 West Coasters, two women step up to fight for accountability.
Pike River
2025
1995 TV movie directed by Jessica Hobbs.
Overnight
1995
Days after Auckland's mayor wins re-election, a blogger reveals an affair between Len Brown and Bevan Chuang. When everyone expects the 'Other Woman' to stay silent, Bevan tells the media her story.
Princess of Chaos
2022
Film credits
2000s · 2 titles
In this mockumentary, Kevin Smith plays himself covering the story of a New Zealand town after the discovery that a local shellfish, the geoduck (pronounced "gooey duck") has the properties of Viagra.
Love Mussel
2001
This Artsville documentary profiles Roger Hall, New Zealand’s most successful playwright. Three decades after Hall's early play Middle Age Spread became a hit, the original cast return for 2006 follow-up Spreading Out. Director Shirley Horrocks explores the secrets behind Hall’s successful brand of comedy (which includes dozens of stage plays, and TV hit Gliding On), while closely exploring Middle Age Spread and Spreading Out. Alongside excerpts from both, there are interviews with John Clarke, Grant Tilly, Ginette McDonald on Hall's role in the birth of her character Lynn of Tawa, and Hall himself.
Who Laughs Last?
2006
Series credits
7.5American spy Jack Stiles teams with British agent Emilia Rothschild to thwart Napoleon's advances in the East Indies.
Jack of All Trades
2000
4.8When an Aussie cop couple trade their badges for a quiet life managing a beachside motel in New Zealand, they plan to leave police work behind them - that is until crime comes to them.
Blue Murder Motel
2026
Behind the camera
6.5In the aftermath of an explosion that rocked the Pike River Mine and took the lives of 29 West Coasters, two women step up to fight for accountability.
Pike River
2025
1995 TV movie directed by Jessica Hobbs.
Overnight
1995
Days after Auckland's mayor wins re-election, a blogger reveals an affair between Len Brown and Bevan Chuang. When everyone expects the 'Other Woman' to stay silent, Bevan tells the media her story.
Princess of Chaos
2022
3.7Isabel recalls a trio of relationships: one with a man in the middle of discovering he is gay, one with a man who doesn't like the smell of Isabel's pet dog, and the one with her friend Ruth.
Bitch
1995
3.7Isabel recalls a trio of relationships: one with a man in the middle of discovering he is gay, one with a man who doesn't like the smell of Isabel's pet dog, and the one with her friend Ruth.
Bitch
1995
5.5Witness a dinner party with a diabolical main course - obsession is put to the limit when a scorned and demonic woman traps the man of her dreams, submission has never been so terrifying!!! - a grizzly murderer is forced to cover his trail without losing his mind. These eerie tales from the grave will leave you at the edge of your seat, screaming for more. Things are often not what they seem.
Dark Stories: Tales from Beyond the Grave
2001
5.5Witness a dinner party with a diabolical main course - obsession is put to the limit when a scorned and demonic woman traps the man of her dreams, submission has never been so terrifying!!! - a grizzly murderer is forced to cover his trail without losing his mind. These eerie tales from the grave will leave you at the edge of your seat, screaming for more. Things are often not what they seem.
Dark Stories: Tales from Beyond the Grave
2001
4.2Based on the best-selling book 'My Story' this feature length drama goes beyond the headlines to tell an intimate story about secrets and one woman's struggle to have them heard. In 1993 Louise Nicholas made her first shocking accusations about being raped by policemen. Some believed her, many didn't. CONSENT tells the story of the senior policeman who went to great lengths to help her fight her case, the journalist who exposed the truth, and the family at the center of the storm.
Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story
2014
6.0Adapted from Renee's 1995 novel Does This Make Sense to You?, the TV movie lays bare the pain caused by forced adoptions inflicted on unwed and teenage mothers in 1950s and 60s Aotearoa
Piece of My Heart
2009
6.0Adapted from Renee's 1995 novel Does This Make Sense to You?, the TV movie lays bare the pain caused by forced adoptions inflicted on unwed and teenage mothers in 1950s and 60s Aotearoa
Piece of My Heart
2009
10.0A plain woman with a beautiful voice is trapped in a difficult life caring for her cranky elderly father.
Song of the Siren
1997
10.0A plain woman with a beautiful voice is trapped in a difficult life caring for her cranky elderly father.
Song of the Siren
1997
3.2Bliss tells the story of Katherine Mansfield in her early 20s as she leaves New Zealand and begins her journey as a writer.
Bliss
2011
3.2Bliss tells the story of Katherine Mansfield in her early 20s as she leaves New Zealand and begins her journey as a writer.
Bliss
2011