Melanie Rodriga facts for kids

Melanie Rodriga (born 30 September 1954) is a talented New Zealand-Australian film maker, lecturer, and author. She has created many films and TV shows.

Early Life and Education

Melanie Rodriga was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1954. Her family moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1961. She finished school in 1972.

After school, she traveled to England. There, she studied filmmaking at Ravensbourne Polytechnic in Bromley.

Starting Her Career

Melanie Rodriga began her career in Sydney in 1974. She worked at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. There, she learned how to manage film productions and how to edit films.

Her first film as a writer and director was a short film called Curiosities in 1976. Later, she moved to New Zealand in 1980. In New Zealand, she wrote and directed three more short films:

• Second Sight: This film was about a theatre group called Red Mole.
• Them’s The Breaks: This was a documentary about young people living on the streets.
• Hooks and Feelers: This was a short feature film based on a story by Keri Hulme.

Later Film Work

Rodriga’s first full-length movie was Trial Run (1984). It starred Annie Whittle. This film was special because it was the first movie in New Zealand written and directed by a woman.

In Trial Run, a character named Rosemary Edmunds goes to photograph rare penguins. She stays in a remote cottage that seems to have a ghost. Melanie Rodriga wanted this film to be a thriller that showed strong female characters. Many women worked on the film's production crew. Trial Run was an important movie for New Zealand cinema. It helped change how women were shown in films.

In 1986 and 1987, Rodriga directed three episodes of a TV series called Marching Girls. This series was important because it created challenging roles for women on New Zealand television.

Her next movie, Send A Gorilla, was made with some of her colleagues from Marching Girls. The film takes place on Valentine’s Day. It looks at how romance is sometimes made too commercial. The movie is funny but also has a serious message.

In the 1990s, Rodriga worked on TV dramas and documentaries. One documentary, The People Next Door (1994), explored different communities in New Zealand.

In 1997, Rodriga moved to Perth, Australia. While teaching at Murdoch University, she directed her third feature film, Teesh and Trude (2002). This movie tells the story of two single mothers in Perth. It was nominated for three [Australian Film Institute Award]s. Critics had different opinions about the film. Some liked its realistic portrayal of everyday life.

In 2010, Rodriga wrote, directed, and produced her fourth feature film, myPastmyPresent. This film was shot in Western Australia. It was made with a crew of university students. The film was shown at the 16th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. In 2015, a film called 'Pinch', which Rodriga helped produce, won an award for best feature at the WA Screen Awards.

Academic Work

Melanie Rodriga has a PhD from Murdoch University in Perth. She also managed the Graduate Screen Program there, teaching students about filmmaking.

Filmography

Reviews

• Film Ink Review of Teesh & Trude by Drew Turney
• SBS Movie Show Review of Teesh & Trude
• Variety Review of Teesh & Trude by David Stratton