Taika Waititi
| Taika Waititi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 August 1975 New Zealand |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter and comedian. |
Taika Waititi (born 16 August 1975), also known as Taika Cohen, is a New Zealand-born film director, writer, painter, comedian and actor named as one of Variety's "ten new directors to watch" in 2007.[1]
His 2010 film Boy has done very well in New Zealand, eclipsing several records,[2][3] and he was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night.
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[edit] Background
Waititi hails from the Raukokore area of the East Coast region of New Zealand[4] and his father is a Maori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. Waititi has used his Jewish mother's surname of Cohen for some of his work in film and writing.[5]
[edit] Comedy work
While a drama student at Victoria University of Wellington he was part of the five-member ensemble, So You're a Man – touring New Zealand and Australia with some success.
He was one half of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts with Jemaine Clement – recipients of New Zealand's highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999.
[edit] Film
In 1999, he starred in the successful low-budget Dunedin film Scarfies.
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.[4]
His first feature film, the 2007 romantic comedy Eagle vs Shark, was released to 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.[6][7] and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.[8] On its release in New Zealand it received top reviews[9] and did very well at the box office, eclipsing several records.[10]
After the success of Boy Taika set out to take the film's signature track "Poi E" to number one for the second time on the New Zealand charts. Although his efforts did get the track to number one on iTunes and number three on the New Zealand chart, the task of reaching the prized spot was near impossible.[11]
In March 2010, it was announced that Waititi would portray Thomas Kalmaku in the live-action superhero film, Green Lantern.[12] He has since completed that work and the film debuted on 17 June 2011.
In 2011 Taika's TV series, Super City will hit NZ TV screens. It stars Madeleine Sami who plays five characters living in the one city.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ Ross, Mathew. "10 Directors to Watch", Variety, 17 January 2007
- ^ Churchouse, Nick (24 April 2010). "Home Boy hit helps keep local cameras rolling". The Dominion Post. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/3618619/Home-Boy-hit-helps-keep-local-cameras-rolling. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ "Boy Now Top Grossing NZ Film Of All Time". Voxy.co.nz. http://www.voxy.co.nz/entertainment/boy-now-top-grossing-nz-film-all-time/5/49284. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ a b "Taika Waititi". NZ On Screen.
- ^ Nate Bloom (10 July 2007). "Interfaith Celebrities: Kyra Sedgwick, Baseball's Braun-y Interfaith Rookie and a Jewish Maori director". InterfaithFamily.com. http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Interfaith_Celebrities_Kyra_Sedgwick_Baseballs_Braun-y_Interfaith_Rookie_and_a_Jewish_Maori_Director.shtml. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
- ^ "Release Dates for Boy". IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560139/releaseinfo. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
- ^ RT Staff (2 December 2009). Rotten Tomatoes: Sundance Festival "2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced". rottentomatoes.com. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/1858193/2010_sundance_film_festival_lineup_announced Rotten Tomatoes: Sundance Festival. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
- ^ "Awards for Boy (2010)". IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560139/awards. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
- ^ Calder, Peter (25 March 2010). "Boy". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10634211. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ Wendy Mitchell (21 May 2010). "Waititi's Boy sets new record for New Zealand film". Screen Daily (screendaily.com). http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/waititis-boy-sets-new-record-for-new-zealand-film/5014267.article. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Interview with Taika Waititi". Marcus Lush. ZM, Auckland. 22 March 2010. Retrieved on 2012-12-02.
- ^ Borys Kit (15 March 2010). "Two kiwi actors join "Green Lantern"". Reuters (Reuters.com). http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/16/us-greenlantern-idUSTRE62F0EV20100316. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- ^ "Super City". TV3. http://www.tv3.co.nz/Shows/SuperCity.aspx. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
[edit] 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
- Interview with Taika Waititi recorded on February 2007
- Eagle vs Shark interview
- Short bio from art exhibition website
- Profile and bio of Taika Waititi on NZ On Screen
- Interview with Taika Waititi in the run up to the New Zealand release of 'Boy'.
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