Tony Vainuku

American documentary film director and cinematographer
Tony Vainuku
Born
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Occupation(s)Director, cinematographer
Years active2015–present

Tony F. Vainuku is an American documentary film director and cinematographer.[1][2] He is best known for directing the Netflix documentary Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist and the PBS Independent Lens documentary In Football We Trust.[3][4]

Life and career

Tony was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and his parents were both immigrants: his father was from Tonga, and his mother from Holland.[5][6] He graduated from Westminster College in Utah.[5] In 2015, he directed his debut feature documentary In Football We Trust, along with Erika Cohn, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[7] In 2022, he directed the Netflix documentary Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist. Recently he signed with the production company M88.[8]

Filmography

Year Title Contribution Note
2015 In Football We Trust Director and cinematographer Documentary
2022 Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist Director Documentary

Awards and nominations

Year Result Award Category Work Ref.
2015 Nominated Hawaii International Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Independent Lens : In Football We Trust
2017 Won News and Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary [9]

References

  1. ^ "Meet the 2015 Sundance Filmmakers #75: Tony Vainuku Shows Journey of Polynesian High School Footballers With 'In Football We Trust'". indiewire.com. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  2. ^ "SL Interview: Tony Vainuku's Film on Football in the Polynesian Community". la84.org. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  3. ^ "Manti Te'o and Family Open Up About Relationship Hoax in 'Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist' Exclusive Sneak Peek (Video)". thewrap.com. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  4. ^ "Film Review: 'In Football We Trust'". variety.com. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  5. ^ a b "Director's Cut". westminstercollege.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  6. ^ "TONY VAINUKU AND ERIKA COHN TELL THE STORY OF A UNIQUE FOOTBALL CULTURE". pbs.org. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  7. ^ "Your Guide to The Sundance Film Festival". nbcnews.com. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  8. ^ "Director Tony Vainuku Signs With M88 (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  9. ^ "38th ANNUAL NEWS AND DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARDS – WINNERS" (PDF). deadline.com. Retrieved 2022-08-18.

External links

  • Tony Vainuku at IMDb
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