Whale Rider facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whale Rider
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Niki Caro
Produced by	John Barnett Frank Hübner Tim Sanders
Screenplay by	Niki Caro
Narrated by	Keisha Castle-Hughes
Starring	Keisha Castle-Hughes Rawiri Paratene Vicky Haughton Cliff Curtis
Music by	Lisa Gerrard
Cinematography	Leon Narbey
Editing by	David Coulson
Studio	South Pacific Pictures ApolloMedia Pandora Film New Zealand Film Production Fund New Zealand Film Commission NZ On Air Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Distributed by	Pandora Film (Germany)
Release date(s)	11 September 2002 (2002-09-11) (Toronto) 30 January 2003 (2003-01-30) (New Zealand) 25 July 2003 (2003-07-25) (Germany)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	New Zealand Germany
Language	English Māori
Budget	NZ$$9.2 million (approx. US$3.5 million)
Money made	$41.4 million

Whale Rider is a 2002 New Zealand-German family drama film written and directed by Niki Caro. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera, the film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Kahu Paikea Apirana, a twelve-year-old Māori girl whose ambition is to become the chief of the tribe. Her grandfather Koro Apirana believes that this is a role reserved for males only.

The film was a coproduction 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. At age 13, Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress before she was surpassed by Quvenzhané Wallis, at age 9, for Beasts of the Southern Wild, in 2012, less than a decade later. The film earned $41.4 million on a NZ$9,235,000 budget. In 2005, the film was named on the BFI List of the 50 Films You Should See By the Age of 14.

Plot

The film's plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana ("Pai"). The village leader should be the first-born son, a direct patrilineal descendant of Paikea, the Whale Rider, he who rode on top of a whale (Tohora) from Hawaiki. Pai is originally born a twin, but her twin brother and her mother died during childbirth. Pai is female and so technically cannot inherit the leadership. While her grandfather, Koro, later forms an affectionate bond with his granddaughter, carrying her to school every day on his bicycle, he also condemns her and blames her for conflicts happening within the tribe.

After the death of his wife and despite overwhelming pressure from Koro, Pai's father refuses to assume traditional leadership or finish the waka (canoe) that he had started building for the baby son; instead, he moves to Germany to pursue a career as an artist. At one point, Paikea decides to live with her father because her grandfather says he does not want her. However, as they are driving away, she finds that she cannot bear to leave the sea as the whale seems to be calling her back. Pai tells her father to return her home.

Koro leads a cultural school for the village's first-born boys, hoping to find a new leader. He teaches the boys to use a taiaha (fighting stick), which is traditionally reserved for males. Pai is interested in the lessons, but is discouraged and scolded by Koro for doing so. Pai feels that she can become the leader (although no woman has ever done so) and is determined to succeed. Her grandmother, Nanny, tells Pai that her second son, Pai's uncle, had won a taiaha tournament in his youth while he was still slim and so Pai secretly learns from him. She also secretly follows Koro's lessons. One of the students, Hemi, is also sympathetic towards her.

Koro is enraged when he finds out, particularly when she wins a taiaha fight against Hemi. Koro is devastated when none of the boys succeeds at the traditional task of recovering the rei puta (whale tooth) that he threw into the ocean, the mission that would prove one of them worthy of becoming leader. With the loss of the rei puta, Koro in despair calls out the ancient ones, the whales. In an attempt to help, Pai also calls out to them and they hear her call.

One day Pai, her uncle, her uncle's girlfriend Shilo, and others take the boat to where Koro flung the rei puta into the sea. Pai confidently declares she'll find it and dives into the water. She finds the rei puta, which means that she is the rightful leader. Nanny does not think Koro is ready to accept this and does not tell him. 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 interschool 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 southern 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, and even a tractor does not help. Koro sees that 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.

When Koro walks away, Pai climbs onto the back of the largest whale at the location and coaxes it to re-enter the ocean. The whale leads the entire pod back into the sea; Pai submerges completely underwater before being thrown off the whale's back by the tide, and the spectators fear she has drowned. When Pai is found and brought to the hospital, Koro declares her the leader and asks for her forgiveness.

The film ends with Pai's father, grandparents, and uncle coming together to celebrate her status as the new leader, as the finished waka is hauled into the sea for its maiden voyage. In voiceover, Pai declares, "My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the Whale Rider. I'm not a prophet, but I know that our people will keep going forward, all together, with all of our strength."

Cast

Soundtrack

The film contains music by Lisa Gerrard, released on the album Whalerider on 7 July 2003.

• Bar One (International Observer) Loaded Sounds - International Observer
• Kaikoura Dub - Pitch Black
• U Want Beef - Deceptikonz
• Voice / Percussion Loop - Hirini Melbourne and Richard Nunns from Te Ku Te Whe
• Jast Passing Through - Nick Theobald

See also

In Spanish: Whale Rider para niños