Taika Waititi

Directing

Taika David Cohen ONZM (born August 16, 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi, is a New Zealand film and television director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and comedian. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award, and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards. His feature films Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) have each been the top-grossing New Zealand film. Waititi's 2004 short film Two Cars, One Night earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. He 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 (2019–present). The series has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. His most recent directing credits include the superhero film Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the black comedy film Jojo Rabbit (2019), the latter of which he also wrote and starred in as an "imaginary Hitler". Jojo Rabbit received six Academy Award nominations and won for Best Adapted Screenplay. Furthermore, Waititi earned a Grammy Award for producing the film's soundtrack. In addition to directing an episode of the television series The Mandalorian (2019–present), he also voices the character IG-11, for which he garnered a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.

Ratings

Screenwriting: 792 ratings
Directing: 822 ratings
Producing: 802 ratings
Casting: —0 ratings

Filmography

Screenwriting

11 titles

Klara and the Sun

When Klara, an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home, meets Josie, each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother and they've suffered great loss, but Klara's innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie's complicated world.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Next Goal Wins

Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team from perennial losers into winners.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Thor: Love and Thunder

After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

80MovieNerd Score

Jojo Rabbit

A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

Cinematography78

Family Friendly—

Team Darryl

Fresh off being unseated as the ruler of Sakaar, the Grandmaster makes his way to Earth to start a new life. It's been over a year since Thor left Australia and Darryl has been struggling to pay his rent. Now Darryl needs a new roommate to help make the monthly payments. Unfortunately for Darryl, the Grandmaster was the only one who answered Darryl's "Roommate Needed" ad and with no viable options, the Grandmaster moves in.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Team Thor: Part 2

A continuation of the documentary spoof of what Thor and his roommate Darryl were up to during the events of "Captain America: Civil War". While Cap and Iron Man duke it out, Thor tries to pay Darryl his rent in Asgardian coins.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Team Thor

Discover what Thor was up to during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

What We Do in the Shadows

Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Boy

Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Eagle vs Shark

Love blossoms for Lily over double Meaty Boy burgers at mid-day when uber-computer nerd Jarrod comes in and leaves with free extra large fries. After gatecrashing Jarrod's party and proving her skills on the game console, Lily goes down to Jarrod's home town with him so he can settle an old score with a past school bully.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Directing

13 titles

Klara and the Sun

When Klara, an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home, meets Josie, each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother and they've suffered great loss, but Klara's innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie's complicated world.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

The Boy & the Octopus

A young boy encounters a curious octopus while snorkeling on a seaside vacation. The persistent mollusk attaches itself to the boy’s head and becomes his constant companion.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Next Goal Wins

Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team from perennial losers into winners.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Thor: Love and Thunder

After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

80MovieNerd Score

Jojo Rabbit

A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

Cinematography78

Family Friendly—

Team Darryl

Fresh off being unseated as the ruler of Sakaar, the Grandmaster makes his way to Earth to start a new life. It's been over a year since Thor left Australia and Darryl has been struggling to pay his rent. Now Darryl needs a new roommate to help make the monthly payments. Unfortunately for Darryl, the Grandmaster was the only one who answered Darryl's "Roommate Needed" ad and with no viable options, the Grandmaster moves in.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Team Thor: Part 2

A continuation of the documentary spoof of what Thor and his roommate Darryl were up to during the events of "Captain America: Civil War". While Cap and Iron Man duke it out, Thor tries to pay Darryl his rent in Asgardian coins.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

93MovieNerd Score

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

Cinematography85

Entertaining100

Family Friendly—

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Team Thor

Discover what Thor was up to during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

What We Do in the Shadows

Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Boy

Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Eagle vs Shark

Love blossoms for Lily over double Meaty Boy burgers at mid-day when uber-computer nerd Jarrod comes in and leaves with free extra large fries. After gatecrashing Jarrod's party and proving her skills on the game console, Lily goes down to Jarrod's home town with him so he can settle an old score with a past school bully.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Producing

11 titles

Klara and the Sun

When Klara, an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home, meets Josie, each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother and they've suffered great loss, but Klara's innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie's complicated world.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Interior Chinatown

Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural, tries to find his way into the larger story–and along the way discovers secrets about the strange world he inhabits and his family's buried history.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

The Mountain

Explores the journey of three young people as they seek solace under the watchful gaze of the Taranaki mountain and companionship in the spirit of adventure.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

We Were Dangerous

Nellie and Daisy attempt to escape the institution for delinquent girls in 1954 New Zealand, however not only are they caught, it triggers a relocation to a facility on a remote island. The duo become a trio as well-to-do Lou joins them, and life on the island takes shape under the command of devout Matron. The trio rail against the system, dubious of the benevolence of the bible and taking refuge in their blossoming friendship. It’s hard to reform girls who don’t believe they need reforming. However, a sense of doom settles in when experimental forms of punishment take place in the dead of night. Nellie and Daisy plot rebellion, but unexpectedly find themselves at odds with Lou, who is afraid to break the rules.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Next Goal Wins

Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team from perennial losers into winners.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Night Raiders

The year is 2043. A military occupation controls disenfranchised cities in post-war North America. Children are property of the State. A desperate Cree woman joins an underground band of vigilantes to infiltrate a State children’s academy and get her daughter back. Night Raiders is a female-driven dystopian drama about resilience, courage and love.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Reservation Dogs

Four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

80MovieNerd Score

Jojo Rabbit

A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

Cinematography78

Family Friendly—

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Team Thor

Discover what Thor was up to during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

What We Do in the Shadows

Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Casting

1 title

Eagle vs Shark

Love blossoms for Lily over double Meaty Boy burgers at mid-day when uber-computer nerd Jarrod comes in and leaves with free extra large fries. After gatecrashing Jarrod's party and proving her skills on the game console, Lily goes down to Jarrod's home town with him so he can settle an old score with a past school bully.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Show Creator

2 titles

Reservation Dogs

Four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Wellington Paranormal

New Zealand's capital is a hotbed of supernatural activity... so Officers Minogue and O'Leary, who featured in the vampire documentary What We Do In The Shadows, take to the streets to investigate all manner of paranormal phenomena.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Miscellaneous Crew

27 titles

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender

Avatar Aang, the world's last Airbender, learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Klara and the Sun

When Klara, an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home, meets Josie, each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother and they've suffered great loss, but Klara's innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie's complicated world.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Interior Chinatown

Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural, tries to find his way into the larger story–and along the way discovers secrets about the strange world he inhabits and his family's buried history.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

The Boy & the Octopus

A young boy encounters a curious octopus while snorkeling on a seaside vacation. The persistent mollusk attaches itself to the boy’s head and becomes his constant companion.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

The Mountain

Explores the journey of three young people as they seek solace under the watchful gaze of the Taranaki mountain and companionship in the spirit of adventure.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

We Were Dangerous

Nellie and Daisy attempt to escape the institution for delinquent girls in 1954 New Zealand, however not only are they caught, it triggers a relocation to a facility on a remote island. The duo become a trio as well-to-do Lou joins them, and life on the island takes shape under the command of devout Matron. The trio rail against the system, dubious of the benevolence of the bible and taking refuge in their blossoming friendship. It’s hard to reform girls who don’t believe they need reforming. However, a sense of doom settles in when experimental forms of punishment take place in the dead of night. Nellie and Daisy plot rebellion, but unexpectedly find themselves at odds with Lou, who is afraid to break the rules.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Next Goal Wins

Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team from perennial losers into winners.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Lightyear

Legendary Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear embarks on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits and his robot companion Sox.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Our Flag Means Death

After trading in the seemingly charmed life of a gentleman for one of a swashbuckling buccaneer, Stede Bonnet becomes captain of the pirate ship Revenge. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede’s fortunes change after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard. Stede and crew attempt to get their ship together and survive life on the high seas.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Thor: Love and Thunder

After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

70MovieNerd Score

Free Guy

A bank teller discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, and decides to become the hero of his own story. Now, in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way before it's too late.

Cinematography72

Family Friendly64

Night Raiders

The year is 2043. A military occupation controls disenfranchised cities in post-war North America. Children are property of the State. A desperate Cree woman joins an underground band of vigilantes to infiltrate a State children’s academy and get her daughter back. Night Raiders is a female-driven dystopian drama about resilience, courage and love.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Reservation Dogs

Four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

The Suicide Squad

Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

85MovieNerd Score

Avengers: Endgame

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

Cinematography81

Family Friendly—

80MovieNerd Score

Jojo Rabbit

A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

Cinematography78

Family Friendly—

Team Darryl

Fresh off being unseated as the ruler of Sakaar, the Grandmaster makes his way to Earth to start a new life. It's been over a year since Thor left Australia and Darryl has been struggling to pay his rent. Now Darryl needs a new roommate to help make the monthly payments. Unfortunately for Darryl, the Grandmaster was the only one who answered Darryl's "Roommate Needed" ad and with no viable options, the Grandmaster moves in.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Team Thor: Part 2

A continuation of the documentary spoof of what Thor and his roommate Darryl were up to during the events of "Captain America: Civil War". While Cap and Iron Man duke it out, Thor tries to pay Darryl his rent in Asgardian coins.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

93MovieNerd Score

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

Cinematography85

Entertaining100

Family Friendly—

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

77MovieNerd Score

Moana

In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.

Cinematography70

Family Friendly98

Team Thor

Discover what Thor was up to during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

What We Do in the Shadows

Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Green Lantern

For centuries, a small but powerful force of warriors called the Green Lantern Corps has sworn to keep intergalactic order. Each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the first human ever recruited.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Boy

Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—

Eagle vs Shark

Love blossoms for Lily over double Meaty Boy burgers at mid-day when uber-computer nerd Jarrod comes in and leaves with free extra large fries. After gatecrashing Jarrod's party and proving her skills on the game console, Lily goes down to Jarrod's home town with him so he can settle an old score with a past school bully.

Cinematography—

Entertaining—

Family Friendly—