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Poster for The Whale Rider (2002)
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The Whale Rider (2002)

Opens on September 12

Director: Niki Caro Run Time: 101 min. Rating: PG-13 Release Year: 2002

Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton

About the film:

Winner of Sundance and Toronto Film Festival audience awards. Only eleven years old and with no previous acting experience, Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.

“Fresh, observant, tough and genuinely moving.”

– Roger Ebert, RogerEbert

Adapted from the novel by author Witi Ihimaera, a young Maori girl finds the courage to challenge the traditions of her patriarchal tribe.

About the filmmaker:

Recognized for her deft understanding of cultural representation, New Zealand writer-director Niki Caro was selected to helm Disney’s new live-action Mulan, making her one of just a handful of female filmmakers ever hired to direct a film with a budget of more than $100 million. A critically acclaimed filmmaker, her short film Sure to Rise (1994) and her debut feature Memory & Desire (1998) were nominated for awards at Cannes, and North Country (2005) earned two Academy Award nominations.

MAJOR SUPPORT
Ohio Arts Council
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Columbus Foundation
Campus Partners
WITH HELP FROM
G&J Pepsi
WOSU Public Media

Trailer

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