Taika Waititi

Taika has had a variety of flavours in his film making career. He was first an actor, now a director his flavour is very real and emotive, mixing comedy, horror and heartache into one glorious vision of life.

Taika's first venture into being a director was a short film named 'Two Cars, One Night', which was a narrative between the children of two cars, a boy, his little brother, and a girl. For this he was nominated for an oscar. It was 4 more years until Taika's first feature length film was made, Eagle vs Shark, in which he used New Zealand Comedy Actor Jermaine Clement, and ever since they have been working together in film.

Following Eagle vs Shark, Flight of the Conchords, a popular series about two New Zealanders in america was directed by Taika. Taika then moved back to Feature Films, making the emotive and hard hitting film, Boy.

Taika then rejoined with Jermaine Clement to film the Mocukmentry What we Do in the Shadows, which was an international comedy hit. Following up right after Taika directed Hunt for the Wilderpeople which is slated to release this year (2016).

Boy (2010)

Boy was Awarded

• AFI Fest Audience Award - Best International Feature Film - Taika Waititi - Won

• Asia Pacific Screen Award - Best Children's Feature Film - Ainsley Gardiner, Cliff Curtis, Emanuel Michael and Merata Mita - Nominated

• Berlin International Film Festival Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix - Best Feature Film - Taika Waititi - Won

• Melbourne International Film Festival Most Popular Feature Film - Taika Waititi - Won

• Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - World Cinema - Dramatic - Taika Waititi - Nominated

• Sydney Film Festival Audience Award - Best Feature Film - Taika Waititi - Won

• New Zealand Film and TV Awards - 13 nominations, seven wins including Best Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay

Influences