AMADI - SHORT FILM TRAILER
EATING SAUSAGE - SHORT FILM TRAILER
CLEAN LINEN - SHORT FILM TRAILER
PATHWAYS - MUSIC VIDEO EXCERPT
BIOGRAPHY
Zia Mandviwalla creates films that are intensely observant and deeply insightful, using the complex human condition as the basis for her storytelling.
In 2009, Zia was named SPADA’s (Screen Production & Development Association New Zealand) New Filmmaker of the Year, signaling her arrival as one of the most exciting directors in Australasia.
Zia has the ability to step into the minds of the characters she creates, imagining their social and emotional predicament and bringing that to life.
“Human emotion transcends culture - we all know and understand love, loneliness or separation, regardless of what language we speak or what food we cook at home. For me, the authenticity lies in bringing truthful experiences to the screen,” says Zia.
In her work, Zia explores the displacement of foreign cultures, and the emotions that are triggered by unfamiliar environments. Her films are thought-provoking, intuitive, and beautifully observed by the camera, which watches as an insider.
Zia’s fascination with other cultures stems from her own unique heritage and upbringing. Born in Bombay, India, Zia is Zoroastrian – a small religious and ethnic group that fled to India from Persia several hundred years ago. Zia grew up in Dubai and migrated to New Zealand with her family as a young adult.
Her short films challenge stereotypes and shed light on the human condition. ‘Eating Sausage’ (2004) tells the story of a displaced Korean couple in the suburbs of Auckland, and was selected for the London and Pusan International Film Festivals. ‘Clean Linen’(2006) explores the world behind a family’s veneer of happiness and premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival. ‘Amadi’ – currently in submission at festivals around the world – explores the assumptions we make about people from other places.
Zia has a host of awards to her name including Best Short Film Script at the Screen Director’s Guild Awards 2005 and Best Director and Best Short Film at the Fitzroy Shorts in Melbourne in 2006. In 2007, Zia represented New Zealand at the Berlinale Talent Campus as part of the Berlin Film Festival and in the same year, she was invited to participate in the Melbourne International Film Festival’s ‘Accelerator’ program.