Tony Vainuku

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Tony Vainuku
Born
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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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[edit]