Book Week Movie Marathon: Whale Rider

Sometimes the movie IS better than the book! Celebrate Book Week at the library, where we'll be showing some of our favourite films based on books.

Come along to a special screening of 'Whale Rider', based on the 1987 novel by Witi Ihimaera.

On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence dates back to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death by riding to shore on the back of a whale when his canoe capsized. 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 stand her ground against him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfil her destiny.

Whale Rider (2022)
Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Classification: PG