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.

Born in Papua New Guinea. Raised in Aotearoa New Zealand. Based in Sydney / Gadigal Land, Australia.

Leaving my homeland as a child and growing up the only Papua New Guinean child in a small town shaped how I see the world — it sparked a curiosity about identity, belonging, and the power of stories to heal.

Television and cinema became an escape for me. I’ve spent my life moving between cultures and stories, chasing the threads of identity that connect where I come from to what I create. My journey, I finally realised, has always been about finding home through storytelling.

My award‑winning short films have screened at 70+ festivals worldwide (Berlinale, imagineNATIVE, Māoriland, Mill Valley, Tropfest), and my feature screenplays spotlight women’s voices rarely seen on screen. I’ve traveled to 34 countries, living in Sydney, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Mumbai — where I produced social‑impact videos for Mewsic India.

That same love of storytelling also led me into television. As an award‑winning senior creative producer with Australia's major commercial networks, Nine and 10, I craft high‑impact campaigns reaching millions across TV, digital, and social.

Along the way I picked up two Gold PromaxBDA ANZ Awards and helped to launch popular shows like Married at First Sight, The Block, and The Voice Australia.

A passionate advocate for Indigenous cinema and diverse voices, I’ve served as a screener for the 2024/2025 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and FESTPAC 2024, the largest celebration of Indigenous Pasifika cultures.

My work’s been recognised with the 2025 Faber Writing A Novel Scholarship in Sydney, 2023 Armed With a Camera Fellowship (AWC) in Los Angeles, and a spot on The Black List’s 2021 CAPE List. In 2024, I returned to Los Angeles to be a mentor for the 2024 AWC cohort.

I’m an alum of Berlinale Talents, the 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 blanket forts for my cat or writing about screen history at @hollywood.diversity.

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

Born in Papua New Guinea. Raised in Aotearoa New Zealand. Based in Sydney / Gadigal Land, Australia.

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