New Zealand’s Taika Waititi is prolific if nothing else. As an actor, he’s played roles from an endearing vampire in What We Do in the Shadows, to Adolf Hitler in his film Jojo Rabbit. His latest film, Next Goal Wins, tells the story of the American Samoa national soccer team and its attempt to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. Tom Power talks to Waititi about what drew him to this “underdog” story, why he finds humour in the mundane, and why he thinks New Zealand humour translates across the world.

00:00 - Introduction & TIFF story
03:02 - Next Goal Wins
09:05 - Jaiyah's story
13:23 - Taika's filmmaking style
17:35 - Comedy of the mundane
20:38 - Reservation Dogs & the power of making an Indigenous character boring
23:50 - Conclusion


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Q with Tom Power is a daily conversation with the artists, writers, actors and musicians who define this cultural moment in time. The conversation is informal, wide-ranging, playful, and allows the artist to explore their art and the contexts that have shaped them through their career. Visit http://www.cbc.ca/Q for more!

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