Whale Rider 2003

Name: Whale Rider
Released: 2003-01-30
Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa

Synopsis:

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.

Directed by:	Niki Caro
Written by:	Niki Caro
Release date:	2003-01-30
Runtime:	101 minutes
Critics score:	90 / 100
Tagline:	In the ways of the ancients she found a hope for the future.