Taika Waititi lists his five favourite movies from New Zealand
As far as contemporary auteurs go, Taika Waititi is one of the most in-demand and acclaimed. He first gained attention in the noughties off the back of directing the rom-com Eagle vs Shark as well as an episode of the hit show, The Flight of The Conchords.
Then, in 2010 Waititi released the comedy-drama Boy, which was recieved at that year’s Sundance Film Festival with widespread acclaim. It even became the highest-grossing New Zealand film at the local box office. However, his real breakthrough came in 2014, when Waititi co-wrote, co-directed and acted in the vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows alongside Clement.
Since then, Waititi has directed a pair of films for the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder. He has delivered pertinent comedic masterclasses in the form of both Jojo Rabbit and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. His works have become so celebrated that some have even argued that he is the saviour of cinema.
Although Waititi is now one of the most prominent names in Hollywood, this hasn’t stopped him from loving his native New Zealand and Māori ancestry, which he seeks to give as much exposure as possible. Bar Jojo Rabbit and the Thor films, Waititi’s titles have been mainly focused on the country of his birth.
Reflecting just how much he loves New Zealand, the director selected his five favourite films from the Pacific island in a recent interview with Paste Magazine.
The first he chose was Peter Jackson’s 1994 drama Heavenly Creatures. Notably, it follows the story of the 1954 Parker–Hulme murder case in Christchurch and featured Kate Winslet in her feature film debut. “It’s Peter Jackson’s best film,” he opined. “It’s an incredible story, great performances, great filmmaking. He still has a really original voice, but his films have become so gigantic, and he’s so ambitious now. But this was like a very cool, small film that was very inventive at the time.”
He then picked Harry Sinclair’s 1997 outing Topless Women Talk About Their Lives, Vincent Ward’s acclaimed short In Spring One Plants Alone, and Florian Habicht’s revealing documentary Kaikohe Demolition.
The director’s final choice came in the form of 1994’s bleak drama Once Were Warriors, by Lee Tamahori. Featuring the likes of Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis, it follows an urban Māori family and their problems with poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence. “It still stands today as a really incredible film,” Waititi said. “It was the first time that we’d really been exposed to what was going on in areas of New Zealand that were never really talked about before.”
Of the eye-opening essence of the movie, he continued: “It was a very raw film and very confronting for a lot of New Zealanders to see. When people watched that, they were like ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa.’ Because New Zealanders have always tried to present ourselves as a beautiful country, and show off the scenery – almost like using films as tourism, which is kind of crazy and stupid. And this was like a very real portrait of a very well-known New Zealand that no one wanted to acknowledge existed.”
Check out the list below.
Taika Waititi’s five favourite films from New Zealand:
- In Spring One Plants Alone – Vincent Ward (1980)
- Heavenly Creatures – Peter Jackson (1994)
- Once Were Warriors – Lee Tamahori (1994)
- Topless Women Talk About Their Lives – Harry Sinclair (1997)
- Kaikohe Demolition – Florian Habicht (2004)
