Title Whale Rider Overview 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 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. Genres Drama, Family Keywords ocean, loss of mother, tradition, loss of brother, becoming an adult, role of women, empowerment, new zealand, maori tradition, chief, grandfather granddaughter relationship, modern society, whale, patriarch, stick fighting, canoe, patriarchy, loss of wife, woman director Production Companies South Pacific Pictures Production Countries New Zealand Spoken Languages English, Original Language en Runtime minutes 101 Release Year 2003
Worldwide box office revenue: approximately 41 million USD