Whale Rider is likely going to be one of those movies that unfortunatly not enough people will see. The plot summary from IMDB is the following....
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.
Although its set in NZ it doesn't use the same breath taking landscapes the LOTR's does but its still a beautiful country non the less and that shines though in this movie. The story itself is quite powerful and its no wonder its a film feastival winner all around the world.(details)
I highly recomned this rental :T
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.
Although its set in NZ it doesn't use the same breath taking landscapes the LOTR's does but its still a beautiful country non the less and that shines though in this movie. The story itself is quite powerful and its no wonder its a film feastival winner all around the world.(details)
I highly recomned this rental :T