Twelve-year-old Paikea would be next in line to lead her people – if only she were a boy. When her beloved grandfather begins to train the boys in their remote and beautiful Māori community, she must defy him to take her rightful place.

Winner of audience awards at Toronto and Sundance, Keisha Castle-Hughes gives a stunning performance as Pai in this moving adaptation of Witi Ihimaera’s novel.

‘The rhythms of Whale Rider are hypnotic as the ebb tide, haunting as the song of the humpback sea mammal, bracing as the ocean spray. It’s a movie that rewards the patient viewer.’ – Philadelphia Inquirer