Movie info
| Languages: | English, Maori |
| Filming dates: | 1 November 2001 - February 2002 |
| Budget: | NZD 6,000,000 |
| Gross: |
USA - 9,577,687 USD (27 July 2003) UK - 896,301 GBP (3 August 2003) Worldwide - 20,662,447 USD (except USA) Finland - 48,056 USD (13 November 2003) Italy - 51,379 EUR (23 November 2003) New Zealand - 6,400,000 NZD (1 April 2003) |
| Plot: | 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. |
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Tags
Original Soundtracks
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"Bar One" ('International Observer' (qv)) Loaded Sounds Performed by International Observer Courtesy of IO Audio "Kaikoura Dub" ('Michael Hodgson (II)' (qv) (as M. Hodgson) / Paddy Free (as P. Free)) Performed by Pitch Black Courtesy of Pitch Black "U Want Beef" ('John Chong-Nee' (qv) (as I. Chongnee) / Mark Sagapolutele (as M. Sagaponutele) / Demetrius Savelio (as D. Sayello) / Daniel Maoate (as D. Maoate) / David Puniani (as D. Puniani)) Dawnraid Music Publishing Performed by Deceptikonz Courtesy of Dawnraid Entertainment "Voice / Percussion Loop" Hirini Melbourne and Richard Nunns From Te Ku Te Whe Courtesy of Rattle Records "Jast Passing Through" Composed and Sung by Nick Theobald |
Goofs
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Continuity: The father and grandfather are arguing after the slide show, and the father goes to pull down the white sheet that was hung over some drapes to act as a screen. He pulls it down, along with the rod and orange drapes that the sheet was hanging from. Moments later, the drapes are back up in place and hanging perfectly straight, and there wasn't enough time for him to re-hang the drapes. Continuity: When the girl has been crying and the grandfather is comforting her, he wipes the tears from her face. In some shots, you can see where he wiped the tear, in other shots, you see a tear that has tricked down to her chin, and in some shots, she has a tear that hasn't traveled so far. GEOG: When Koro answers the phone towards the end of the film, it is ringing with an American style single ring, not the double-ring that is used on New Zealand phones. |
Quotes
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Paikea: Why doesn't he want me? Porourangi: He's just looking for something that doesn't exist anymore. Paikea: A new leader? They exist. Paikea: It's not Koro's fault, that I'm a girl. Porourangi: Her name is Paikea. Koro: No, not that name. Paikea: My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs. Koro: When she was born, that's when things went wrong for us. Paikea: A long time ago, my ancestor Paikea came to this place on the back of a whale. Since then, in every generation of my family, the first born son has carried his name and become the leader of our tribe... until now. Koro: Wise leader, forgive me. I am only a fledgling new to flight. [about her brother] Paikea: They were waiting for their new leader... but he died. Paikea: Maori women have got to stop smoking. We've got to protect our childbearing properties. Maka: You'd have to be smoking in a pretty funny place to wreck your childbearing properties. Koro: If you have the tooth of a whale, you must have the jaw of a whale to yield it. [first lines] Paikea: In the old days, the land felt a great emptiness. It was waiting. Waiting to be filled up. Waiting for someone to love it. Waiting for a leader. [child birth scene] And he came on the back of a whale. A man to lead a new people. Our ancestor, Paikea. But now we were waiting for the firstborn of the new generation, for the descendant of the whale rider. For the boy who would be chief. Paikea: There was no gladness when I was born. My twin brother died, and took our mother with him. Paikea: I wasn't scared to die. [last lines] Paikea: My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider. I'm not a prophet, but I know that our people will keep going forward, all together, with all of their strength. |
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