Taika Waititi is a writer, director, actor, and visual artist from New Zealand. Waititi wrote, directed, and acted in Eagle vs Shark, and Boy, which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to become the highest-grossing New Zealand film of all time. Taika's film, What We Do in the Shadows, co-written/directed/acted with Jemaine Clement, was named "The best comedy of the year" by The Guardian, and "Funniest film of the year" by Empire Magazine. 

Waititi's other writer/director credits include the 2005 short Two Cars, One Night, which was nominated for an Academy Award and the short film Tama Tu, which picked up festival prizes worldwide. He has written and directed multiple episodes of the TV series Flight of the Conchords. His most recent feature Thor: Ragnarok, was the most successful Thor film within the Marvel cinematic universe to date. Waititi hails from the Te-Whanau-a-Apanui tribe.