Wellington actor wins Pacific prize

Wellington actor Nathaniel Lees reckons he's done his dash working on Hollywood blockbusters.

Lees, who starred alongside Keanu Reeves as Captain Mifune in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, said he would much rather work on local film and theatre projects.

"Now I've seen how big budget films work, I'm not so interested in them any more," he said.

Awarded the $6000 Creative New Zealand Senior Pacific Islands Artist award at the Arts Pasifika Awards last night, Lees said he was preparing for two projects - a play for the next International Festival of the Arts lineup and to star in Toa Fraser's first feature film, Number Two. The film is based on Fraser's play of the same name.

If given the option Lees, whose career has spanned more than 30 years, said he would always prefer to work on local projects or projects which had a local flavour. That was why he had chosen to develop Dylan Thomas' novel Beach of Falesa, set in the Pacific.

While the play was still in the early development stages, Lees said inquiries had already been received from people interested in staging it here and overseas.

Other winners from last night's event were: Auckland artist and artistic director Lemi Ponifasio, who got the $5000 Pacific Innovation and Excellence Award; artist Lonnie Hutchinson of Auckland who received the $3000 Emerging Pacific Artist Award; former Wellington singer Bonaventure Allan-Moetaua (now based in Auckland) who was awarded the $6500 Iosefa Enari Memorial Award, and carver Kepueli Vaomotou of Auckland who got the $3000 Heritage Art Award.

- NZPA