Whale Rider
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.
Drama, Family
South Pacific Pictures
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Paikea Apirana, Rawiri Paratene as Koro, Vicky Haughton as Nanny Flowers, Cliff Curtis as Porourangi, Grant Roa as Uncle Rawiri, Mana Taumaunu as Hemi, Rachel House as Shilo, Taungaroa Emile as Willie, Tammy Davis as Dog, Mabel Wharekawa as Maka, Rawinia Clarke as Miro, Tahei Simpson as Miss Parata