Taika Waititi

From Grokipedia

Taika David Waititi (born Taika David Cohen; August 16, 1975) is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian of Māori paternal and Ashkenazi Jewish maternal descent. Raised primarily in Wellington after his parents' separation, Waititi graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a degree in theatre and film in 1996. He first gained notice in New Zealand for short films and features like Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), which became the country's highest-grossing films at the time of release. Internationally, Waititi directed the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: Ragnarok (2017), noted for revitalizing the franchise with its humor and visual style, and earned an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the satirical World War II comedy Jojo Rabbit (2019). His work often features absurd, heartfelt comedy drawing from personal and cultural experiences, though later projects like Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) drew criticism for uneven execution and self-indulgent elements. Waititi has faced professional controversies, including allegations of on-set psychological abuse raised by actor Charlyne Yi during production of the 2023 series Time Bandits, which he directed.

In brief

Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( TY-kə WY-tee-tee), is a New Zealand filmmaker, writer, actor, and comedian. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and six Emmy Awards. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

His feature films Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) have each been the top-grossing film entirely funded and produced within New Zealand. Waititi's 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. He co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the horror comedy film What We Do in the Shadows (2014) with Jemaine Clement, which was adapted into a television series of the same name in 2019.