Whale Rider

AroView: A stirring, widely-acclaimed adaptation of Witi Ihimaera’s novel about a young girl’s struggle to win the approval of her patriarchal grandfather and fulfill her destiny as a tribal leader in a small community on the East Coast of the North Island.

Weaving a contemporary story with Maori myth, faith and heritage to demonstrate how the past impacts on the present and the path ahead, this is a film hand-crafted with aroha and a fine quality cast supporting the stunning child performance of Keisha Castle-Hughes. Casting its net to reach the widest possible audience, it might sacrifice subtlety in the final reel, but can still take pride of place among that select group of special films from Aotearoa.