Taika Waititi names his favourite indigenous movie
While virtually his entire filmography has either been indebted to or paid tribute to his roots in one way or another, Taika Waititi has used his increased visibility and status as a well-known mainstream figure to shine a light on – and actively increase – indigenous representation in film and television.
His earlier independent works Eagle vs. Shark, Boy, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople were all rooted in the New Zealand and Māori culture he grew up in, but he’s turned his attention to inspiring the next generation after hitting the big time through Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters Thor: Ragnarok and Love and Thunder, as well as his Academy Award-winning absurdist comedy Jojo Rabbit.
When pressed by Letterboxd to name his favourite movie by an indigenous filmmaker, though, Waititi opted to name one from somebody he’s close to: “I’ll name this one because it’s by a friend of mine, Blackhorse Lowe,” he said. “This film is probably 12, 13, 14 years old. 5th World, it’s a Navajo love story.”
Written and directed by Lowe, the 2005 film stars Livandrea Knoki and Sheldon Silentwalker as Aria Clyde and Andrei Bedonie, who meet at college and begin falling in love. Shot in a naturalistic, improvisational style, the majority of 5th World unfolds as the pair spend hours making the journey to visit her mother’s house on a reservation in New Mexico. A festival favourite, the film sees its two protagonists talk about their lives on an academic, cultural, and spiritual level, and it clearly had an impact on Waititi.
Lowe has gone on to direct several features and step behind the camera on a number of TV shows, perhaps most notably by helming six episodes of Reservation Dogs, which was co-created and executive produced by Waititi. Winning widespread acclaim along the way, the series recently ended after its third season and featured countless indigenous creators, from conception and writing through to crew members and directors.
During his acceptance speech at the Oscars, Waititi dedicated his win to “all the Indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories,” telling them that “we are the original storytellers and we can make it here as well.” To achieve that goal, he’d already founded production company Piki Films long before he took the stage, with the outfit’s mission statement to be “committed to thought-provoking stories from underrepresented perspectives.”
Echoing Waititi’s own sentiments, Lowe explained to Collider what he wanted to see from the increase in indigenous stories being told me major studios and networks, using Reservation Dogs as an example: “The blossoming and blooming of all these other projects and stories, so that way we continue to see the narrative of the Native experience continue to go on.”
