| Release Date: | Jan 2003 |
|---|---|
| Genres: | Family / Drama |
| Awards: | Nominated for Oscar. Another 29 wins & 28 nominations |
| Runtime: | 101 min |
| Cast: | Keisha Castle-Hughes (Paikea), Rawiri Paratene (Koro) Vicky Haughton (Nanny Flowers) Cliff Curtis (Porourangi) Grant Roa (Uncle Rawiri) Mana Taumaunu (Hemi) Rachel House (Shilo) Taungaroa Emile (Willie) Tammy Davis (Dog) Mabel Wharekawa (Maka (as Mabel Wharekawa-Burt)) Rawinia Clarke (Miro) Tahei Simpson (Miss Parata) Roi Taimana (Hemi's Dad (as Roimata Tamana)) Elizabeth Skeen (Rehua) Tyronne White (Jake (as Tyrone White)) |
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.
