Taika Waititi Video | Stand-up 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. His 2010 film Boy has done very well in New Zealand, eclipsing several records, and will be released in at least seven cities in the U.S. beginning 2 March 2012. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night. Waititi hails from the Raukokore area of the East Coast region of New Zealand. His father is a Maori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and his mother is Jewish.... MORE

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. His 2010 film Boy has done very well in New Zealand, eclipsing several records, and will be released in at least seven cities in the U.S. beginning 2 March 2012. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night. Waititi hails from the Raukokore area of the East Coast region of New Zealand. His father is a Maori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and his mother is Jewish. Waititi has used his mother's surname of Cohen for some of his work in film and writing. In March 2012, Waititi confirmed that he and his girlfriend are expecting their first child together. 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. In 1999, he starred in the successful low-budget Dunedin film Scarfies. His 2003 short LESS