BIOGRAPHY

A young woman with short black hair, wearing clear glasses and a blue knit sweater, sitting indoors near a window with blurred outdoor background.

Tema Pua is a New Zealand director and script supervisor of Malaysian-Chinese heritage. After studying film theory at the University of Auckland, Tema worked in events and marketing for the Directors & Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand for 6 years where she learnt from many local and international filmmakers. She refers to this time as her informal film school. She produced the short documentary EAST MEETS EAST, a 2017 Loading Docs film that was selected for NZIFF the same year.

She has directed two short films—IT LIES AT NIGHT, a microbudget fantasy thriller, and BYE MUM (formerly known as Cradle & Grave), a fantasy comedy-drama supported by the New Zealand Film Commission. She is interested in female-centric stories and invisible minorities set within the fantastic genres of science-fiction and fantasy.

Tema is a director and script supervisor for hire. As a director, she’s interested in new collaborations with screenwriters.

Let's work together

Talent Development

2023 – PASC Story, Camera, Action! with Steven Davis: Stunt directing workshop

2020 – Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts, Bye Mum (formerly Cradle & Grave)

2020 – PASC Short Cuts development lab, Bye Mum (formerly Cradle & Grave)

2019 – NZ On Air Pacific & Asian Storytelling Initiative

MY WORK IS INTERESTED IN EXPLORING

Life’s mysteries through motifs and metaphors

“Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.” I treasure this quote by director Robert Bresson.

While a lot of my work is invested in making intangible things palpable with the help of genre, I can’t resist an entertaining murder mystery project!

A woman with short black hair and glasses directing or explaining something on a film set, holding a remote viewfinder, inside a chapel with wooden pews and stone walls.

A black and white art piece made of black small triangles and circles, revealing parts of a girl's eyes, lips, face and dark hair.

Imperfect people trying to do good

I tell stories about messy characters dealing with the messes they’ve created or inherited. I’m also passionate about seeing more female protagonists on screen.