Whale Rider
A young Maori girl fulfills her destiny.
- Filmmaker(s)
- Niki Caro
- Category
- Full-Length Film
- Topics
- New Zealand, Aotearoa, Family, Fiction
- Length
- 101 Minutes
- Year
- 2013
- Website
- www.whaleriderthemovie.co.nz
A small Maori village faces a crisis when the heir to the leadership of the Ngati Konohi dies at birth and is survived only by his twin sister, Pai. Although disregarded by her grandfather and shunned by the village people, twelve-year-old Pai remains certain of her calling and trains herself in the ways and customs of her people. With remarkable grace, Pai finds the strength to challenge her family and embraces a thousand years of tradition in order to fulfill her destiny.
PIC's Whale Rider website
The official site of Whale RiderAwards Won
Best Actress Nomination, 2004 Academy Awards
Best Feature Film, 2003 BAFTA Children's Film and Television Awards
Best Foreign Film, 2004 Independent Spirit Awards
Best Actress, Best Director, Best Film, Best Screenplay, and 5 other awards, 2003 New Zealand Film and TV Awards
Film Synopsis
In a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation for more than 1000 years, a male heir born to the chief succeeds to the title.
The time is now. The chief's eldest son, Porourangi, fathers twins—a boy and a girl. But the boy and his mother die in childbirth. The surviving girl is named Pai.
Grief-stricken, her father leaves her to be raised by her grandparents. Koro, her grandfather who is the chief, refuses to acknowledge Pai as the inheritor of the tradition and claims she is of no use to him. But her grandmother, Flowers, sees more than a broken line—she sees a child in desperate need of love.
When Pai's father, Porourangi, now a feted international artist, returns home after 12 years, Koro hopes everything is resolved and Porourangi will accept destiny and become his successor.
But Porourangi has no intention of becoming chief. He has moved away from his people both physically and emotionally. After a bitter argument with Koro, he leaves, suggesting to Pai that she come with him. She starts the journey but quickly returns, claiming her grandfather needs her.
Koro is blinded by prejudice and even Flowers cannot convince him that Pai is the natural heir. The old chief is convinced that the tribe's misfortunes began at Pai's birth and calls for his people to bring their 12-year-old boys to him for training. He is certain that, through a gruelling process of teaching the ancient chants, tribal lore, and warrior techniques, the future leader of their tribe will be revealed to him.
Meanwhile, deep within the ocean, a massive herd of whales is responding, drawn towards Pai and their twin destinies.
When the whales become stranded on the beach, Koro is sure this signals an apocalyptic end to his tribe. That is, until one person prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the people—The Whale Rider.
Related Programs