Whale Rider
| Whale Rider | |
|---|---|
US theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Niki Caro |
| Screenplay by | Niki Caro |
| Based on | The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera |
| Produced by | John Barnett Frank Hübner Tim Sanders |
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Keisha Castle-Hughes |
| Cinematography | Leon Narbey |
| Edited by | David Coulson |
| Music by | Lisa Gerrard |
Production companies | South Pacific Pictures ApolloMedia Pandora Film New Zealand Film Production Fund New Zealand Film Commission NZ On Air Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista International (Australia and New Zealand) Pandora Film (Germany) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Countries | New Zealand Germany |
| Languages | English Māori |
| Budget | NZ$$9.2 million (approx. US$3.5 million) |
| Box office | $41.4 million |
Whale Rider is a 2002 New Zealand drama film written and directed by Niki Caro, based on the 1987 novel 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 believes that this is a role reserved for males only. A coproduction between New Zealand and Germany, the film was shot on location in Whangara, the setting of the novel.
Whale Rider had its world premiere on 9 September 2002 at the Toronto International Film Festival. It received critical acclaim upon its release and was a commercial success, earning $41.4 million on a $3.5 million budget. At the 76th Academy Awards, Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress, at age 13. In 2005, the film was named on the BFI list of the "50 Films You Should See By the Age of 14".