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Whale Rider

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Whale Rider
US theatrical release poster
Directed byNiki Caro
Written byNiki Caro (screenplay)
Witi Ihimaera (novel)
Produced byJohn Barnett
Frank Hübner
Tim Sanders
StarringKeisha Castle-Hughes
Rawiri Paratene
Vicky Haughton
Cliff Curtis
CinematographyLeon Narbey
Edited byDavid Coulson
Music byLisa Gerrard
Production
companies
South Pacific Pictures
ApolloMedia
Pandora Film
Distributed byBuena Vista International
Release date
30 January 2003 (2003-01-30)
Running time
101 minutes
CountriesNew Zealand
Germany
LanguagesEnglish
Māori
BudgetNZ$$9,235,000
Box officeUS$41,442,113

Whale Rider is a 2002 New Zealand drama film directed by Niki Caro, based on the novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera. The film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Kahu Paikea Apirana, a 12-year-old girl struggling to become the chief of the tribe, a role traditionally reserved for males.

The film was a co-production between New Zealand and Germany. It was shot on location in Whangara, the setting of the novel.

The world premiere was on 9 September 2002, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film received critical acclaim upon its release. Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

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Pai's grandfather Koro Apirana, or Old Paka as his wife Nanny Flowers calls him, the leader of the tribe, is initially angry at losing his grandson and being left with a "worthless" female. While he does later form an affectionate bond with his granddaughter, carrying her to school every day on his bicycle, he also resents her and blames her for many of the troubles facing the tribe. At one point Paikea decides to leave with her father because her grandfather is mistreating her. However she finds that she cannot bear to leave the sea as the whale seems to be calling her back, tells her father to turn the car back and returns home. Pai's father refuses to assume traditional leadership; instead he moves to Germany to pursue a career as an artist. Pai herself is interested in the leadership, learning traditional songs and dances, but is given little encouragement by her grandfather. Pai feels that she can become the leader, although there's no precedent for a woman to do so, and is determined to succeed.

Koro decides to form a cultural school for the village boys, hoping to find a new leader. He teaches the boys to use a taiaha (fighting stick). This is traditionally reserved for males. However, Nanny tells Pai that her second son, Pai's uncle, had won a taiaha tournament in his youth while he was still slim, so Pai secretly learns from him. She also secretly follows Koro's lessons. One of the students, Hemi, is also sympathetic towards her, but Koro is enraged when he finds out, particularly when she wins her taiaha fight against Hemi. Koro's relationship with Pai erodes further when none of the boys succeed at the traditional task of recovering the rei puta (whale tooth) that he threw into the ocean — this mission would prove one of them worthy of becoming leader.

Pai, in an attempt to bridge the rift that has formed, invites Koro to be her guest of honour at a concert of Māori chants that her school is putting on. Unknown to all, she had won an inter-school speech contest with a touching dedication to Koro and the traditions of the village. However, Koro was late, and as he was walking to the school, he notices that numerous right whales are beached near Pai's home. The entire village attempts to coax and drag them back into the water, but all efforts prove unsuccessful; even a tractor doesn't help because the rope breaks. Koro sees it as a sign of his failure and despairs further. He admonishes Pai against touching the largest whale because "she has done enough damage" with her presumption. Also, the largest whale traditionally belongs to the legendary Paikea. But when Koro walks away, she climbs onto the back of the largest whale and coaxes it to re-enter the ocean. The whale leads the entire pod back into the sea; Paikea nearly drowns in the process. When she goes out to sea, Nanny Flowers shows Koro the whale tooth which Pai had previously recovered. When Pai is found and brought to the hospital, Koro declares her the leader and asks her forgiveness. The film ends with the village, including Pai's father, uncle, and grandparents, celebrating her status as leader, as the finished waka is hauled into the sea for its maiden voyage.

Cast

Production

The community of Whangara, where the film is set

The film had budget of NZ$9,235,000.[1] It received $2.5 million from the New Zealand Film Production Fund.[1] Additional financing came from ApolloMedia, Filmstiftung NRW, the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air.[2]

Casting director Diana Rowan visited numerous schools to find an actress to play Pai. 10,000 children were auditioned before narrowing it down to 12. Castle-Hughes impressed Caro in the resulting workshop and was cast as Pai.[3]

The film was shot in Whangara on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island and in Auckland.[4] Producer John Barnett said "This novel was set in Whangara and it would almost have been heresy to shoot anywhere else. There are very physical things that are described in the book - the sweep of the bay, the island that looks like a whale, the meeting houses, the number of houses that are present and of course, the people whose legend we were telling. [...] If we'd gone somewhere else and tried to manufacture the surroundings and the ambience, then I think it would have been noticeable in the picture."[5]

The 60-foot waka seen at the end of the film was made in two halves in Auckland before being transported to Whangara. The waka was given to the Whangara community after filming concluded.[3]

paora is so gangster

Awards

The film won a number of international film-festival awards, including:

Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, becoming the youngest actress ever nominated for the award. She was 13 years old at the time.

Academy Awards:

Chicago Film Critics Association:

Image Awards:

Independent Spirit Awards:

  • Best Foreign Film (winner)

Satellite Awards

Screen Actors Guild:

Washington DC Area Film Critics Association:

References

  1. ^ a b "Film Fund 1 Interim Report" (Press release). New Zealand Film Commission. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  2. ^ "Whale Rider To Debut In Toronto" (Press release). South Pacific Pictures. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Production notes" (Press release). South Pacific Pictures. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Technicals" (Press release). South Pacific Pictures. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Notes about the location" (Press release). South Pacific Pictures. Archived from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
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