Taika Waititi becomes first Māori to win an Oscar

Taika Waititi becomes first Māori to win an Oscar

By Semi Turaga
11/02/2020

New Zealander Taika Waititi is the first Māori to win an Oscar and first indigenous filmmaker ever nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Waititi took home Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards for the film Jojo Rabbit which is about a lonely German boy who discovers that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl during WWII. 

Waititi wrote and directed Jojo Rabbit and even acted as Adolf Hitler in the film.

In 2005, he made his first Oscars appearance when he was nominated for his short film Two Cars.

Waititi first found international fame with the film Boy where he was both director and film star.

He also played Korg in the 2017 superhero film - Thor: Ragnarok.

In his speech, Waititi thanked his mother for inspiring him to write the script for the film.

Meanwhile, South Korean film Parasite is the first non-English language film to win best picture in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards.

Renee Zellweger won Best Actress for playing Judy Garland in Judy.

Joaquin Phoenix was named Best Actor for Joker.

Brad Pitt and Laura Dern scooped the supporting acting awards for their roles in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Marriage Story respectively.

FEATURE NEWS
State trying to make out of court settlement deal with Malimali, about $2 million on the table for discussions
There are clear indications today after the application for leave for a judicial review by former FICAC Commissioner, Barbara Malimali that the State ...
15 hours ago
LATEST NEWS
Agriculture Ministry to focus on increasing kava, turmeric and dalo exports
The Ministry of Agriculture is working to boost export earnings by increasing production of key commodities such as kava, turmeric, taro, ginger, ...
13 hours ago

This is a lollipop budget - Bala
This is not a people's budget, this is a lollipop budget—a sweetener served just in time for election year. This has been shared by Oppostion ...
13 hours ago

Bia cheekily tells Seruiratu to provide alternative budget
While supporting the 2025/2026 National Budget Assistant Minister for Information, Aliki Bia responded to Leader of the Opposition Inia Seruiratu by ...
13 hours ago

Bridging the divide: building Pacific agency in the AI era
Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to be a powerful catalyst of social and economic development for Pacific Island countries. It has the potential ...
14 hours ago

Seruiratu says 40,000 Fijians left between 2022-2023, worsening skills shortage
Over 40,000 people leaving our shores between 2022 and 2023 has placed immense pressure on Fiji’s workforce. While opposing the 2025/2026 ...
15 hours ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
IN DEPTH
Professor Prasad on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
The show will focus on the 2025/2026 National Budget.
6 days ago

Tui Nayau and Tui Lau Installation
The ceremony for the installation of the Tui Nayau Sau ni Vanua o Lau will be held tomorrow, while the installation ceremony of the Tui Lau will be held in Tubou on Thursday.
8 days ago

CFL 40th Birthday
CFL’s 40th Anniversary celebrations to culminate with free concert at Albert Park on ...
11 days ago

TOP