Hunt for the Wilderpeople: Exclusive clip of director Taika Waititi's NZ smash hit

Newcomer Julian Dennison and Sam Neill play a mismatched pair surviving the New Zealand bush in the director's hilarious new comedy

The world is about to get very well acquainted with the name Taika Waititi, with New Zealand's favourite writer/director about to hit Hollywood with the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.

But, until then, savour Hunt for the Wilderpeople; his latest film set to hit UK cinemas this week on a wave of critical praise and popular success. After proving a favourite with Sundance audiences earlier this year, the film soon broke records in New Zealand to become the country's highest-grossing local film; followed by a successful run stateside that saw it grow into something of an underground hit.

Audiences are falling madly in love with Waititi's cinematic world; our exclusive clip from the film perfectly displaying the director's unique flair for absurdist comedy, gently intermixed with a heartfelt sense of humanity, easily making him one of the most exciting voices working today.

Here, rebellious foster kid Ricky Baker (newcomer Julian Dennison) and adoptive Uncle Hec (Sam Neill) find their escape into the New Zealand bush interrupted by a group of bounty hunters, though they turn out to be no match for the mismatched pair whose survival skills see Ricky charmingly title themselves the 'Wilderpeople'.

Waititi is also behind last year's cult hit What We Do in the Shadows; pairing with frequent collaborator Jemaine Clement, best known for Flight of the Conchords, for a wildly ingenious mockumentary based around four flat-sharing vampires in Wellington.

It's a comedic sensibility that's been promised to make Marvel's third Thor outing a surreal 'intergalactic buddy road movie' and a completely fresh take on the franchise; with a hilarious clip shown at San Diego Comic-Con already driving some major hype around the film.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople hits UK cinemas 16 September.