Film director Taika Waititi has made the list of Time magazine's top 100 most influential people for the year. 

He joins the likes of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden, television host Oprah Winfrey, actor Channing Tatum and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

Waititi joked on Twitter that a list of 100 seemed like too many people "but I'll take it". 

 

The annual collection of names pairs off the recipients with other prominent figures for its blurb portion. 

Actor Sacha Baron Cohen wrote the summary on Waititi comparing him to the artist Picasso and saying he has been wanting to work with the Kiwi since 2014. 

Waititi in Our Flag Means Death. Photo / Supplied 

"Taika has won an Oscar and made successful, hilarious, heartfelt movies. Yet he always brings to his work a light touch. He tells stories that are utterly watchable, even when they're sad, or satirical. And they are always funny," Cohen said. 

The Mataatua film director, who hails from Whānau-a-Apanui, is featured as an influential innovator. 

The list features influential people from across six categories including artists, leaders and titans. 

Its leaders category features not only the US president who is included for a fifth time but also Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping. 

Rita Ora, left, and Taika Waititi attend Dior Men's Spring 2023 collection show. Photo / AP 

In its icons category singers Adele and Mary J Blige and tennis players Rafa Nadal and Peng Shuai feature.