CPIS is thrilled to announce that this year’s Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency at the University of Hawai’i has been awarded to Oscar Kightley. Oscar is an award-winning journalist, writer, playwright, actor, presenter and director from Auckland. He is no stranger to CPIS. Oscar was a 2007 artist resident at UH Mānoa, shortly after the release of hit movie Sione’s Wedding (internationally released as Samoan Wedding), which he co-wrote and acted in.
As part of the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency he will network with the local creative community through writing and lectures, undertake research within the Samoan community in Hawai’i, and work on a new screenplay. Oscar will be based at the Center for Pacific Islands Studies for three months during the Spring 2020 semester. Hawai‘i has been identified as a strategic location for artists and is considered the hub of Pacific writing with numerous universities, library resources, networks, writers’ forums and publishers. It is also an important link to the mainland US and has a strong indigenous culture.
For the full announcement, visit Creative NZ at:http://www.creativenz.govt.nz/news/oscar-kightley-named-2019-recipient-of-the-fulbright-creative-new-zealand-pacific-writer-s-residency?fbclid=IwAR3gUsxupfY8FT4zDUY1j0aF5KeeAOL6fwhwxuIASQk1C0NhiGgKZS3zpsM
Photo credit: Sarah Hunter