Katie Wolfe (Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama) works across acting, directing, producing, writing and development in the theatre and screen industries.
Trained at Toi Whakaari her first professional acting job was at Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre, where she also presented several episodes of Natural History NZ’s children’s nature series WILD TRACK. Her first TV acting role was Ginny Gannaway in South Pacific Pictures’ MARLIN BAY, followed by acting roles in RAY BRADBURY THEATRE, the KURT VONNEGUT SERIES, SHORTLAND STREET and MERCY PEAK. She also starred in Gibson Group’s COVERSTORY, and received the best actor award at the 2005 NZ film and TV awards.
Her big screen work began with acting roles in short films LA VIE EN ROSE, LEMMING AID and PLANET MAN then onto the World War Two feature THE LAST TATTOO and THE IRREFUTABLE TRUTH ABOUT DEMONS.
Katie then moved into directing, and after a 100 episodes of SHORTLAND STREET, she became the lead out director for South Pacific Pictures’ GO GIRLS and GOLDEN.
Her first two short films, THIS IS HER (2008) and REDEMPTION (2010), both premiered at Sundance, and went on to screen at Berlinale, New York and Telluride Film Festivals, garnering numerous awards including NZ Film Awards. For REDEMPTION, Katie was the recipient of the Emerging Filmmaker Award and Best Film Award at the 2010 ImagineNATIVE Festival. Her first tele-feature, entitled KAWA, was an adaptation of Witi Ihimaera’s book, Nights in the Gardens of Spain.
In 2011 Katie was the recipient of the inaugural Mana Wahine WIFT Award.
For Māori Television she has also contributed to KORERO MAI, PUKORO, WAIMARIE, DIY MARAE, HOME KREW and WHANAU, and was the subject for a Kim Webby documentary, THE MISSING PIECE, about her whanau connection to Parihaka.
Producing credits include SHORTLAND STREET, ATIMIRA for Māori Television and theatre productions for the NZ Actors Company.
Her first stage production was The Women for Silo Theatre. The production went on to have 3 sell-out seasons in Wellington and Auckland, and Wolfe received a Chapman Tripp award for directing. Other recent productions include Luncheon, 2080, Nga Manurere, and most recently The Mooncake and the Kumara for the Auckland Arts Festival.
Katie recently made a foray back into acting with roles in the short film UKAIPO WHENUA, and TV series THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES, and, as both actor and writer, for HAKA CITY.
She recently completed post-production on her short film for WARU.
See Katie Wolfe in the following session:
WARU: Breaking the silence – Sat 24th September, 11:00 am.
