Whale Rider

Whale Rider is a 2002 drama film directed by Niki Caro, based on the novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera. The world première was on September 9, 2002, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie's plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana ("Pai") at the age of 12 who is the only living child in the line of the tribe's chiefly succession because of the death of her twin brother and mother during childbirth. By tradition, the leader sh... more

Whale Rider is a 2002 drama film directed by Niki Caro, based on the novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera. The world première was on September 9, 2002, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie's plot follows the story of Paikea Apirana ("Pai") at the age of 12 who is the only living child in the line of the tribe's chiefly succession because of the death of her twin brother and mother during childbirth. By tradition, the leader should be the first-born son — a direct patrilineal descendant of Paikea, the Whale Rider — he who rode atop a whale from Hawaiki. However, Pai is female and technically cannot inherit the leadership. Pai's grandfather Koro Apirana, or Old Paka as his wife Nanny Flowers calls him (according to the book, this is an affectionate version of "old bugger"), 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... less