Taika Waititi to Receive Award, Debut Jojo Rabbit at Toronto International Film Festival

Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi will pull a two-for-one at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, debuting his latest film and snagging himself an award. The New Zealander’s “anti-hate satire,” Jojo Rabbit, premieres at the event ahead of an Oct. 18 wide release. Waititi will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award recognizing his outstanding contribution to cinema during the TIFF Tribute Gala on Sept. 9.

“Taika Waititi is the rock star cinema needs right now,” TIFF artistic director and co-head Cameron Bailey said in a statement. “His films are full of razor-sharp humour, faultless style and boundless generosity.”

The satirical tale of a German boy and his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler—played by Waititi himself—Jojo Rabbit continues a career built on wit, humor and heart. A television series based on his 2014 vampire mockumentary, What We Do in the Shadows, premiered on FX earlier this year.

Waititi’s next project is the recently announced Thor: Love and Thunder, the next chapter in the superhero saga in which Natalie Portman picks up the iconic hammer.

Watch a teaser for Jojo Rabbit below.