Popo Lilo
BPSA (Bachelor in Performing and Screen Arts), BA (Part Complete), Post graduate Diploma in Teaching – Secondary School (Part Complete)
Popo has a Bachelor’s degree in Performing and Screen Arts, majoring in Directing and Writing for the screen and stage from the UNITEC Institute of Technology in 2001. He studied toward a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Film and Television in 1996 at Auckland University but with 6 papers remaining for completion decided to transfer to Unitec, who were offering a degree with a more practical and hands on approach at the time. During his studies toward his Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching – Secondary Schools at Auckland Teachers Training College in 2002 he was selected by one of the New Zealand Film Commissions short film tenders for funding to make his short film that he had written and submitted for development, so decided to put his Post graduate Diploma studies on hold for a later date.
Popo has been employed with KAAT Trust for the last 5 years as the Programme Coordinator for the Caregivers for Home Support Programme. Although his experience and qualifications are Performing Arts orientated, his skills and experience have proven to be very successful and transparent for the Home Care Programme with many of his students employed in various positions within this sector. He is also developing and establishing a curriculum and a programme for a Performing Arts School at KAAT trust.
Popo is an experienced film, theatre and TV director with directing credits on “Shortland Street” (TVNZ), New Zealand’s longest running television drama; “Interogation” (Prime TV) NZ Cop drama, “Amazing Extraordinary Friends” (TVNZ) NZ children’s superhero drama, “Pacific Beat Street” (Media Works TV3) a youth orientated magazine show just to name a few.
His writing credits include development of his own feature film idea optioned by producers South Pacific Pictures (producers of Whale rider and Sione’s Wedding); writing a story outline for a feature film idea for Touchdown productions (Robin Scholes, Producer of “Once Were Warriors”, “Broken English”) and has written many of his own short films, he has also been consulting on a feature script by a New Zealand Maori based in Australia over the last 6 years with aspirations to have it developed for production for 2012. His theatre credits include directing a play called “Miss South Pacific” that played a season at the Musgove Studio Auckland Universtiy, and “Fagaloa and Aute” a theatre production that played a season at the Maidment Theatre, Auckland University.
He has made several short films, one of which was an Official Selection at Sundance in the USA, Montreal in Canada, Hoff in Germany, Palm Springs in the USA International Film Festivals and many others.
Popo’s experience in the Performing Arts industry has seen him lecture, tutor and mentor for different Private Tertiary Education (PTE) providers around Auckland, he has also helped to develop curriculums for the Performing Arts at different institutes. He was offered a residency audition as a Director for Fox Searchlight in the USA (Independent Arm of FOX Network) but turned it down due to his young family and the passion for making films out of New Zealand. He was an Industry Advisory Board member for the Unitec Performing Arts Degree programme and has helped and consulted on various film scripts. In 2007 Popo decided to bring his skills and experience back into the education sector with a passion to expose young Pasifika to the opportunities of possible career pathways in the Performing Arts industry.
He has developed his own production company that caters for emerging Pasifika artists wanting to develop films. One of his short films “The Pe’a” that he wrote and directed was produced in 2009, and he has many other projects in early developments, that he hope will be ready for production soon.