Sundance Welcomes Taika Waititi’s Latest

Taika Waititi’s new film Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a dramatisation of Barry Crump’s 1986 novel, Wild Pork and Watercress, has premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Boy director Waititi returns with the road comedy and coming of age drama, his fourth feature film, which stars Sam Neill and Julian Dennison.

The story follows “city kid” Ricky (Dennison) who moves to the countryside and into the home of a new foster family, before tragedy strikes when he goes on the run with cantankerous Uncle Hec, played by Neill. Branded outlaws in a national manhunt, they must face their options together.

“Expect to laugh and cry in equal parts,” writes the Independent’s Jess Denham.

Waititi told Stuff news site that people will “fall in love with these underdog characters”.

“We want to spin a good yarn and have an adventure – and start a resurgence of entertaining New Zealand films, those adventure films like Came a Hot Friday and Goodbye Pork Pie – films where people are fighting against the system but in a fun way,” he said.

Oscar Kightley and Rima Te Wiata also star.

Original article by Jess Denham, The Independent, January 20, 2016.