Taika Waititi

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Taika Waititi at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019

Taika David Waititi (  [ ˈtaɪkə waɪˈtiːti ] ; born August 16, 1975 in Wellington ; also Taika Cohen) is a New Zealand film director , screenwriter , actor , painter and comedian . Please click to listen!Play

He was nominated for an Oscar in 2005 for his short film Two Cars, One Night (2004) . His films Boy (2010) and Where the Wild People Hunt (2016) are New Zealand's most successful films. The Horror - Comedy 5 rooms kitchen coffin (2014), which he and Jemaine Clement wrote and directed, was also great critical acclaim. Waititi's first Hollywood film is Marvel Studios ' Thor: Decision Day , which premiered on October 10, 2017.

For his feature film Jojo Rabbit he received in 2020 the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay .

life and career

origin

Waititi comes from the Raukokore area ( East Cape ) of the North Island of New Zealand and grew up there and in Wellington . In the New Zealand capital, he attended Onslow College for ten years. His father, a painter, is Māori from the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui tribe and his Pākehā mother, a teacher, has Russian-Jewish roots. Waititi used his mother's maiden name , "Cohen", for parts of his works.

Comedy and acting

An acting student at Victoria University of Wellington , Waititi was part of So You're a Man, a comedy group of five, who toured New Zealand and Australia . He graduated from the university in 1996 with a degree in theater and film. Taika Waititi was also part of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts, along with Jemaine Clement . As The Humourbeasts, they won New Zealand's most important comedy award in 1999, the Billy T Award. At the same time, Waititi began acting in films and series. He won a local film award for working as a student on the low-budget Dunedin film Scarfies (1999) . He had a minor role in the road movie Snakeskin (2001) and the television series The Strip (2002).

After a few years focusing on directing, Waititi played the role of Thomas Kalmaku in the 2011 superhero film Green Lantern . He also played major roles in his own films Boy and 5 Zimmer Küche Sarg , which he wrote and directed with Jemaine Clement. In his film Thor: Decision Day , he plays the alien Korg with the help of motion capture .

Direction and script work

Waititi began producing comedic short films for New Zealand's annual 48-hour film competition, among other artistic activities such as painting , photography, and stand-up comedy . His short film Two Cars, One Night (2004) was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. At the award ceremony, he caused a stir by pretending to sleep while the nominees were presented. In the same year, his short film Tama tu won the special jury award at the Berlin International Film Festival .

His first feature film, the romantic comedy Eagle vs Shark - Love in New Zealand , premiered in 2007 at the renowned Sundance Film Festival , where it received a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize and was shown a month later at the Berlin International Film Festival . The female lead was played by his girlfriend at the time, Loren Horsley , the male lead Jemaine Clement. In the same year Waititi wrote two scripts for the television series Flight of the Conchords and directed four episodes.

His second film Boy was also shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010 and, like its predecessor, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Waititi also starred with the convicted father returning to his family. When it was released in New Zealand, Boy received very positive reviews and was so successful at the New Zealand box office that he broke several records. After Boy's success , Waititi was hoping that the song Poi E , which is played in the film, would top the New Zealand music charts a second time . Ultimately, the song reached third place, but first on the iTunes charts.

In 2011 Waititi directed the six episodes of the first season of the New Zealand comedy series Super City . Madeleine Sami plays different characters who live in a city.

In 2013, Waititi, along with friend and comedian Jemaine Clement, wrote and directed the Mockumentary 5 Room Kitchen Coffin. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014. Waititi and Clement play vampires who live together in a house in what is now Wellington.

In addition to movies, he also produces promotional videos for Cadbury , NBC , Samsung and Tesco , among others . Peter Jackson and Elijah Wood participated in his video for the pre-flight safety instruction demonstration for the airline Air New Zealand , which is set on the locations of the Lord of the Rings films . It has been seen nearly 20 million times on YouTube since October 2014 .

Waititi's fourth feature film, Where the Wild Men Hunt , first screened at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. When released in New Zealand, the film broke the record for most viewers on the release weekend. The film is based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress (1986) by Barry Crump and is about a boy and a grouchy man (played by Sam Neill ) on the run through a wooded area.

Waititi wrote the original screenplay for the Disney - animated film Vaiana (2016), that the issues of gender and family had as a priority. These elements were later disregarded in favor of what became the definitive story.

In 2017 Waititi was named New Zealander of the Year.

Taika Waititi with Chris Hemsworth , who starred in Thor: Decision Day , 2017

Waititi's first major Hollywood production, Thor: Decision Day from the Marvel Cinematic Universe , was shot largely in Australia and opened in theaters in late October 2017.

Filming for Jojo Rabbit began in May 2018. Based on Waititis Black List script from 2012, the comedy is about a ten-year-old nationalist boy who returns home after an accident at a Hitler Youth camp and discovers that his mother is a fifteen-year-old Jewish girl hiding with her. Waititi also directed and embodied an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler . The film opened in American cinemas on October 18, 2019. For the film to be released in 2019, he was nominated together with Carthew Neal for an Oscar in the category of best film in 2020 , he also received a nomination and finally an award in the category best adapted screenplay.

In 2018 he was appointed to the competition jury of the 75th Venice International Film Festival .

Another planned project was the collaboration with Mark Gustafson for the stop-motion film Bubbles, which was supposed to give an insight into the life of Michael Jackson from the perspective of his domestic chimpanzee Bubbles . Work on the Netflix film was stopped early in May 2019.

He is also working on the implementation of 5 Zimmer Küche Sarg as an American television series, which has been broadcast in the United States since March 2019 under the title What We Do in the Shadows . The follow-up film We're Wolves is also being planned. The first season of the New Zealand spin-off series Wellington Paranormal started on New Zealand television in July 2018.

In November 2019, filming began on a film adaptation of the soccer documentary Next Goal Wins - The Game of Your Life from 2014. A cinematic adaptation of the manga Akira is to appear after Thor: Love and Thunder , which will be released in theaters in February 2022.

Waititi has been working with Terry Gilliam and Dan Halsted for Apple TV + since 2019 on a serial adaptation of Gilliam's 1981 fantasy film Time Bandits . In February 2020, the US television broadcaster Showtime announced the adaptation of the comic book series The Auteur , which he is directing and directing write the scripts. Waititi is also working for Netflix on the implementation of Roald Dahl's children 's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and an independent animation series about the Oompa Loompas . On May 4, 2020 was Lucasfilm announced that Waititi at a Star Wars - will direct film in which Krysty Wilson-Cairns is working with Waititi on the script.

Private

Waititi is married to the film producer Chelsea Winstanley. In May 2012 they had their first child together. The second child was born in 2015.

Filmography

As a director

As a screenwriter

As a producer

As a performer

Music videos

  • 2007: Flight of the Conchords - Ladies of the World
  • 2007: Flight of the Conchords - Mutha'uckas
  • 2007: Flight of the Conchords - Leggy Blonde
  • 2007: Age Pryor - Shanks' Pony
  • 2007: The Phoenix Foundation - Bright Gray
  • 2008: Luke Buda - My Imminent Demise
  • 2009: The Phoenix Foundation - 40 Years
  • 2011: Method Man - World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids)

Awards (selection)

Academy Awards 2020

Web links

Commons : Taika Waititi  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Taika Waititi Interview - Boy (Part 1). CMF Luminaries ( YouTube ), May 2, 2012, accessed October 20, 2017 (English, video).
  2. ↑ Nick Churchouse: Home Boy hit helps keep local cameras rolling. In: Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand , April 24, 2010, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Boy Now Top Grossing NZ Film Of All Time. In: Voxy.co.nz. Digital Advance Limited, May 20, 2010, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  4. ↑ a b Dan Kois: The Superweirdo Behind 'Thor: Ragnarok'. In: The New York Times . The New York Times Company, October 19, 2017, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Taika Waititi. In: nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  6. ^ Sarah Catherall: My secret Wellington: Taika Waititi. In: Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand , December 10, 2014, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Tom Hunt: Taika Waititi reveals childhood passions. In: Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand , February 7, 2012, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Miriam Rinn: 'Boy' movie review, trailer: A charming New Zealand family movie. (No longer available online.) In: newjerseynewsroom.com. March 2, 2012, archived from the original on September 6, 2012 ; accessed on October 20, 2017 (English).
  9. ^ Nate Bloom: Interfaith Celebrities: Kyra Sedgwick, Baseball's Braun-y Interfaith Rookie and a Jewish Maori Director. In: InterfaithFamily.com. InterfaithFamily.com, Inc., July 10, 2007, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  10. ↑ a b Jennifer Borrmann: "We were pretty nerdy ..." - Interview with Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. In: kino-zeit.de. Kurz & Spiegel GbR, October 24, 2014, accessed on October 20, 2017 .
  11. ^ Billy T Award. Past winners. In: comedyfestival.co.nz. New Zealand Comedy Trust, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Taika Waititi. In: thearts.co.nz. Arts Foundation of New Zealand, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Borys Kit: Two kiwi actors join "Green Lantern". In: reuters.com. Thomson Reuters , March 16, 2010, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Derek Lawrence: Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi to portray Korg in film. In: Entertainment Weekly . Time Inc. , April 18, 2017, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  15. ^ Eagle vs Shark to premiere at Sundance. In: The Big Idea. Te Aria Nui Charitable Trust, December 4, 2006, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  16. ↑ a b Elle Hunt: Taika Waititi on shaking up Thor and being a Hollywood outsider: 'They take this stuff so seriously'. In: The Guardian . Guardian News and Media Limited, March 20, 2017, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  17. ↑ Eagle vs. Shark. In: berlinale.de. Berlin International Film Festival , February 2007, accessed on October 20, 2017 .
  18. ↑ Taika Waititi's Boy Comes to Mescalero, New Mexico on May 25. In: sundance.org. Sundance Institute , April 28, 2011, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  19. ↑ Peter Calder : Boy . In: New Zealand Herald . NZME. Publishing , March 25, 2010, accessed May 18, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Wendy Mitchell: Waititi's Boy sets new record for New Zealand film. In: Screen Daily. Media Business Insight Limited, May 21, 2010, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Scott Kara: Poi Story 2. In: The New Zealand Herald . NZME , May 7, 2010, accessed on November 18, 2019 .
  22. ^ Greer McDonald: Boy helps Poi E climb the charts. In: Stuff.co.nz. Independent Newspapers , May 7, 2010, accessed November 18, 2019 .
  23. ↑ Patea Maori Club - Poi E (song). In: charts.nz . Hung Medien, accessed November 18, 2019 .
  24. ^ Sundance debut for Kiwi vampire spoof. In: Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand , December 17, 2013, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  25. ↑ Tom Hunt: Air NZ's 'most epic' safety video. In: Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand , October 23, 2014, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  26. ↑ The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made #AirNZSafetyVideo. Air New Zealand ( YouTube ), October 22, 2014, accessed October 20, 2017 (English, video).
  27. ↑ Sundance Institute Completes Feature Film Lineup For 2016 Sundance Film Festival. In: sundance.org. Sundance Institute , December 7, 2015, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  28. ↑ Zack Sharf: Sundance Crowdpleaser 'Hunt for the Wild People' Makes Box Office History in New Zealand. In: IndieWire. Penske Media Corporation, April 4, 2016, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  29. ↑ Taika Waititi behind Disney script 'Moana'. In: The New Zealand Herald . NZME , October 21, 2014, accessed on October 20, 2017 (English).
  30. ↑ 2017 New Zealander of the Year Awards Winners Update. In: nzawards.org.nz. The New Zealander of the Year Awards, February 23, 2017, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  31. ↑ Bory's Kit: 'Thor 3' Finds Its Director. In: The Hollywood Reporter . Eldridge Industries, October 2, 2015, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  32. ↑ Patrick Frater: Marvel's 'Thor: Ragnarok' and Fox's 'Alien' Sequel To Shoot in Australia. In: Variety . Penske Media Corporation, October 21, 2015, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  33. ↑ Chris Evangelista: Filming Has Begun on Taika Waititi's Imaginary Hitler Comedy 'Jojo Rabbit'. In: / film. May 31, 2018, accessed June 3, 2018 .
  34. ↑ Matt Donnelly: 'Thor: Ragnarok' Director Taika Waititi to Play Imaginary Hitler in 'Jojo Rabbit' (Exclusive). In: TheWrap. The Wrap News Inc., March 14, 2018, accessed March 18, 2018 .
  35. ^ Danette Chavez: Taika Waititi will play an imaginary Hitler in his next movie. In: The AV Club. Onion, Inc. , March 15, 2018, accessed March 18, 2018 .
  36. ↑ Chris Evangelista: 'Jojo Rabbit', Starring Taika Waititi as Hitler, Will Open in October. In: / film. May 13, 2019, accessed May 15, 2019 .
  37. ↑ Nick Vivarelli: Naomi Watts, Christoph Waltz, Taika Waititi Set for Venice Jury Duty. In: Variety . Penske Media Corporation, July 26, 2018, accessed August 17, 2018 .
  38. ↑ Katherine Sanderson: Taika Waititi to Co-Direct Michael Jackson Movie 'Bubbles'. In: The Hollywood Reporter . Eldridge Industries, February 11, 2017, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  39. ↑ Amid Amidi: Exclusive: Taika Waititi And Netflix Pull Out Of Stop-Motion 'Bubbles'. In: Cartoon Brew. Cartoon Brew, LLC, May 23, 2019, accessed May 24, 2019 .
  40. ^ Joe Otterson: 'What We Do in The Shadows' Series Lands at FX With Pilot Production Commitment. In: Variety . Penske Media Corporation, January 22, 2018, accessed January 23, 2018 .
  41. ↑ Chris Evangelista: Taika Waititi's 'Next Goal Wins' Begins Production, Adds Non-Binary Actor Kaimana to Cast. In: / film. November 14, 2019, accessed November 18, 2019 .
  42. ↑ Nick Evans: Taika Waititi Explains The Delay In The Akira Movie. In: CinemaBlend. Gateway Blend, LLC, October 21, 2019, accessed November 18, 2019 .
  43. ↑ Nellie Andreeva, Anthony D'Alessandro: Taika Waititi To Co-Write & Direct 'Time Bandits' Series In Works At Apple From Paramount, Anonymous Content & MRC. In: Deadline.com . Penske Media Corporation, March 11, 2019, accessed March 5, 2020 .
  44. ↑ Nellie Andreeva: 'The Auteur' Taika Waititi Horror-Comedy Starring Jude Law Confirmed By Showtime, Details Revealed. In: Deadline.com . Penske Business Media, LLC, February 18, 2020, accessed February 19, 2020 .
  45. ↑ Borys Kit: Taika Waititi to Tackle 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' for Netflix. In: The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media , March 5, 2020, accessed on March 5, 2020 .
  46. ^ Academy Award Winner Taika Waititi to Direct and Co-Write new Star Wars Feature Film for Theatrical Release; Oscar Nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns to Co-Write Screenplay with Waititi. In: StarWars.com. Lucasfilm Ltd. , May 4, 2020, accessed on May 4, 2020 .
  47. ↑ Taika Waititi: Hello and welcome to Te Hinekāhu, a lovely little 12-day old girl who is gracing us with her presence. Twitter , May 30, 2012, accessed October 20, 2017 .
  48. ↑ Girl, not Boy, for director dad. In: The New Zealand Herald . NZME , June 3, 2012, accessed on October 20, 2017 (English).
  49. ^ The Diary: Second baby on the way for Taika. In: The New Zealand Herald . NZME , June 3, 2015, accessed on October 20, 2017 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Waititi, Taika
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cohen, Taika
BRIEF DESCRIPTION New Zealand actor and film director
DATE OF BIRTH 16th August 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Wellington , New Zealand