Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi | |
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File:Taika Waititi at Sundance 2015.jpg
Taika Waititi speaking at 2015 Sundance Film Festival
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Born | Taika David Waititi 16 August 1975 Wellington, New Zealand |
Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington |
Occupation | Film director, screenwriter and comedian |
Years active | 1999 - present |
Known for | Eagle vs Shark, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, Green Lantern, Flight of the Conchords, Two Cars, One Night |
Spouse(s) | Chelsea Winstanley (1 child) |
Taika Waititi (born 16 August 1975), also known as Taika Cohen, is a New Zealand film director, writer, painter, comedian, and actor.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2004 short film Two Cars, One Night.
His 2010 film Boy became the top grossing film in New Zealand,[1][2] and was released internationally in 2012.
Contents
Background
Waititi hails from the Raukokore area of the East Coast region of the northern island of New Zealand.[3] His father is Māori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and his mother is Jewish.[4][5] Waititi used his mother's surname, "Cohen", for some of his work in film and writing.[6]
Career
Comedy work
While a drama student at Victoria University of Wellington, Waititi was part of the five-member ensemble, So You're a Man, which toured New Zealand and Australia with some success.
He was one half of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts alongside Jemaine Clement – recipients of New Zealand's highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999.
Filmmaker
His 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night earned him an Academy Award nomination. At the awards ceremony, he famously feigned falling asleep as the nominations were being read out.[3]
His first feature film, the 2007 romantic comedy Eagle vs Shark, was released in U.S. theatres for limited distribution in 2007. The film stars Waititi's then real-life partner, Loren Horsley, as Lily. The same year, he wrote and directed one episode of the TV show Flight of the Conchords and was director of another.
His second feature, Boy, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.[7][8] and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.[9] On its release in New Zealand, it received top reviews[10] and was successful at the box office, eclipsing several records.[11] After the success of Boy, Waititi tried to get the film's signature track "Poi E" to become number one (for the second time) on the New Zealand charts. Although his efforts succeeded in getting the track to number one on iTunes and number three on the New Zealand charts, it missed out on the top spot on the New Zealand charts.[12]
In 2011, Waititi directed the New Zealand TV series Super City starring Madeleine Sami, who plays five characters living in one city.[13]
In 2013, Waititi co-directed the New Zealand-based vampire comedy mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows with friend and fellow comedian Jemaine Clement.[14] The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014.[15]
Waititi's fourth feature, Hunt for the Wilderpeople will premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2015, Waititi entered in negotiations to direct the Marvel Studios film Thor: Ragnarok.[16]
Actor
In 1999, Waititi starred in the successful low-budget Dunedin film Scarfies.
In 2011, Waititi played Thomas Kalmaku in the live-action superhero film Green Lantern.[17]
In 2013, Waititi played Viago in What We Do in the Shadows, a vampire mocumentary set in Wellington, New Zealand, which he also co-directed and co-wrote with Jemaine Clement.
Filmography
Film
Year | Film | Credited as | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Screenwriter | Actor | Notes | |||||
1999 | Scarfies | No | No | No | Yes | ||||
2003 | Two Cars, One Night | Yes | No | Yes | No | Short film | |||
2007 | Eagle vs Shark | Yes | No | Yes | No | ||||
2010 | Boy | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Role: Alamein | |||
2011 | Green Lantern | No | No | No | Yes | Role: Thomas Kalmaku | |||
2014 | What We Do in the Shadows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Role: Viago | |||
2016 | Hunt for the Wilderpeople | Yes | No | Yes | No | Post-production | |||
2017 | Thor: Ragnarok | Yes | No | No | No | Pre-production |
Television
Year | Program | Episode(s) | Credit(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2007-09 | Flight of the Conchords | "Drive By", "New Zealand Town" | Director, Writer |
2011 | Super City | Season 1 | Director |
Personal life
In May 2012, Waititi's wife, Chelsea Winstanley, gave birth to their first daughter, Te Hinekāhu.[18][19]
References
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External links
- Taika Waititi at the Internet Movie Database
- Official MySpace page
- Extensive video interview with Waititi and "Boy" co-star James Rolleston on American public radio program The Sound of Young America
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- Living people
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