Nikki Si'ulepa

Nikki Si'ulepa

Nikki Si'ulepa is an award-winning Samoan writer, director, actor, and camera operator based in New Zealand. A proud queer creative, she has worked in the screen industry since 1995, both in front of and behind the camera. She is a multi-talented artist known for bringing bold, heartfelt stories to life that celebrate underrepresented communities and voices.Her career began with a lead acting role in the 1995 film The Whole of the Moon, for which she earned two Best Actress awards. Since then, she has appeared in a wide range of films and television series, including Bookworm (2024), Creamerie, and The Sounds. She also starred in Same But Different: A True New Zealand Love Story, a romantic comedy feature film that she also wrote and directed.Behind the camera, Si'ulepa's work has screened at prestigious international festivals such as Berlinale, Tribeca, and Sydney. She has directed and co-directed several short films, including Snow in Paradise, which won Best Short Film at the 2013 Festival International du Film d'Environnement (FIFE) in Paris. She also has extensive experience as a camera operator and director on the TVNZ show Tagata Pasifika. In 2020, she co-founded PISA (Pacific Islands Screen Artists), a group that supports and advocates for Pacific screen artists.

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