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...
Tagline
In the ways of the ancients she found a hope for the future.
Storyline
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.
- Released30 January 2003
- Runtime1h 41min
- Director
- Budget$8,000,000
- Revenue$41,400,000
- Genre
- StatusReleased
- LanguageEnglish
- ProductionSouth Pacific Pictures, Pandora Film
