Taika Waititi

Actor and director Taika Waititi was Oscar-nominated for his 2005 short film Two Cars, One Night. His second feature Boy (2010) became the most popular Kiwi film on its home soil — at least until his 2016 comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople. In 2017 Waititi's Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok became a global hit, then he won an Academy Award for writing Nazi comedy Jojo Rabbit. Hollywood has invited him aboard for multiple projects.

I don’t ever want to be seen as a Māori artist. I’d rather be an artist who just happens to be Māori — and not like my art must always, and necessarily, reflect being a Māori. Taika Waititi