Film-maker, scriptwriter, and playwright Toa Fraser has been named the University of Auckland’s Young Alumnus of the Year. Toa has directed two feature films, written five plays and has been nominated for 16 national and international awards – ten of which he has won. Following the international success of “No 2”, Toa’s second film Dean Spanley, starring Peter O’Toole, Sam Neil and Jeremy Northam, has received rave reviews and is currently showing at cinemas around the world. This exceptional young film-maker of Fijian, English, and New Zealand heritage will deliver a public lecture, “Animal Tangles: That’s the carnal and the heavenly right there” at 12pm on 14 March 2009 at the Owen Glenn Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.
