Taika Waititi

Biography

Taika David Cohen, also known as Taika Waititi, is a New-Zealand filmaker, actor and comedian, born on the 16th of August 1975 in Raukokore, New Zealand. His father was an artist of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent, while his mother's side were Russian Jews.

He studied at Victoria University of Wellington and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1997.

Taika did a lot of comedy during his university years and was part of a five-member ensemble So You're A man, which was pretty successful as they toured Australia and New-Zealand with some popularity.

His feature film was Eagle Vs Shark, which tells the story of a relationship between a socially-awkward fast-food waitress and a videogame clerk who meet a costume party. The film received mixed reviews. However, his second feture film Boy, which focused on the life of a maori 11 year-old boy who gets to meet his father after years of absence, proved to be very successful. It won many awards, including Best Feature Film at the New-Zealand film and TV award, and was also nominated for the Grand-Jury price and the Sundance Film Festival. The movie was recongnized for its spreading of awareness towards New-Zealand and Maori culture.

He then added two major feature films to his filmography: What We Do In The Shadows (2013), a mockumentary about vampires living in Wellington, and Thor: Ragnarok (2017), the third movie of Marvel Production's Thor Saga. Both movies were really well received by critics and both proved to be very successful.

Filmography

Eagle vs Shark (2007)

Boy (2010)

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Hunt For The Wilder People (2016)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Why is his work significant?

Realistic Indigenous Representation

Taika cares deeply about realistic indigenous representation in film. As he said himself: “We’ve been represented through a white lens” “We’re the Native presence in films that talk to trees, and we’re smudging that all the time, and we’re riding wales, and we’re talking to the ghosts of our ancestors - which, sure, maybe for a few of us… I don’t. I’m just a normal dude.” Two of his feature films, Boy as well as Hunt for the Wilder People, feature two young Maori boys, however, the story doesn’t revolve solely around Maori culture. Taika cares for Indigeneous experiences that are represented in a way that feels normal, he wants to relate with audiences. He says: “It’s a responsibility you have to the Indigenous people. You’re coming to a country and you’re bringing money into the economy and creating jobs, but I think you have an even bigger responsibility to look after the people that have less opportunities”.

Representation in Thor: Ragnarok

Taika also makes sure that there is not only Indigenous representation on screen, but also behind the scenes. Before the filming of Thor: Ragnarok in New-Zealand, he invited members of Yugambeh mob to perform a “Welcome to country” since, in his words, “One shouldn’t start a movie in New-Zealand without asking the local tribe to come in and bless you and send you to work with some good mojo”. He also worked really hard to assure Indigenous representation, while also assuring opportunities for local aspiring filmmakers. He also made sure that the local Indigenous people were involved in the production of the film and that they were treated with respect by the rest of the crew.


He also made sure to support local Indigenous communities by hiring an Indigenous company to supply water for the set and also recruited eight indigenous interns to work on different fields in the film. He also encouraged the costume designers to take inspiration from local culture, while also making sure to not cross the line into appropriation. In his words: “You need to follow-up by saying ‘don’t copy that, but use it as inspiration’, he explained, ‘because the next thing you know you have 50 people who have appropriated all these like beautiful ancient designs without asking what they mean, or who owns them, or for any permission.”



Role Model For Aspiring Indigenous Artists

Without considering his efforts to bring more Indigenous representation to the current film industry, Taika Waititi is also a big role model for aspiring Indigenous artists. During the 92nd edition of the Academy Awards in 2020, Waititi's film Jojo Rabbit was nominated for Best Picture as well as Best Adapted Screenplay, which he later won. This made him the first person of Maori descent to be nominated in a screenplay category, as well as the first Indigenous person to be nominated and to win Best Adapted Screenplay. As he accepted his Oscar, Taika said "I dedicate this award to all the Indigenous kids all over the world who want to do art and dance and write stories. We are the original storytellers and we can make it here as well". He is the true example that there is a place for Indigenous artists not also in the film industry, but in the arts in general.

Taika Waititi after winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in the 92nd edition of the Academy Awards.

On the set for Thor: Ragnarok

He incorporated the Haka, famous Maori dance, at the end of his feature film Boy.

Bibliography