When Damon first applied to film school he was told to submit his showreel. Fresh out of school and empty handed, he raced home and cheekily copied the opening sequence of his favourite video game onto a VHS tape and submitted that. Luckily for him, Damon got accepted and nobody was the wiser. Well, until now… After graduating film school, Damon cut his teeth making New Zealand laugh, directing hundreds of sketches for the award winning TV series, “The Jono and Ben show.”

Last year his first feature film “Red, White and Brass” was the highest grossing NZ film of 2023, bringing a Pasifika story to a whole new audience of Kiwis. His recent film “Inky Pinky Ponky,” a love story between a transgender high schooler and the captain of the First XV connected with younger generations, amassing over 1.4 million views on Youtube, going viral on TikTok, and still climbing.

His first short “Watermark,” about a young girl caught by the rising tide debuted at Rotterdam Film Fest and was invited to 20 international festivals, winning awards for Best Film, Actress and Cinematography. Fepulea’i also directed the documentary “Dawn Raids” as well as “A Life In Death,” and “Life, Death and A Lung Transplant,” the latter earning him a nod for Best Documentary at the Qantas Film and TV Awards.