Taika Waititi [Te-Whānau-a-Apanui] discovered drama at secondary school. Having previously had aspirations for careers in deep sea diving, painting and hospitality, the lure of the entertainment industry led him towards acting, and a high school drama teacher – who he admits “changed my life”.
Waititi, aka Taika Cohen, appeared in feature films Scarfies (Alex), and Snakeskin (Nelson), the TV show The Strip, and on stage as a stand up comedian and one half of the comedy duo Humourbeasts, before turning his creative energies towards writing and directing.
His award-winning short film Tama Tū, based on the experiences of The Maori Battalion in WWII, was recognised at festivals in Berlin, Stockholm and at Sundance.
Waititi’s first short Two Cars, One Night was nominated for an Academy Award, and his debut feature film Eagle vs Shark was released in 2007 to critical acclaim.
He has directed several music videos, including two for Wellington band The Phoenix Foundation.
In this ScreenTalk interview, Waititi reveals:
This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence
Credits: Interview, Camera & Editing – James Coleman
Posted by Screen Talker on 8 March 2010
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Comments
by TeMiha on 25 September 2009 at 9:13am
Like the typical Kiwi self deprecating attitude! Shame some didn’t get the fallen asleep gag, but I remember thinking how funny it was, and nice to know it went down well in the states, didn’t know that.
by Penehamine Netana-Patuawa on 5 October 2009 at 12:51pm
Tena koe e hoa…kia-ora koe mo to mahi. Ka pai!
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