Behind the Scenes of Whale Rider
Television (Full Length) – 2003
Jonathan Brough’s documentary on the making of Whale Rider travels to the East Coast town of Whangara, where the mythical whale rider Paikea landed. Combining behind the scenes footage with memories from the cast and crew, it touches on Witi Ihimaera's original novel, the casting of Keisha Castle-Hughes, and the vision of director Niki Caro. The whales were brought to life through a combination of life-sized models, digital effects, and footage of real-life Southern right whales. There are glimpses of the whales built for the stranding scenes, and Keisha Castle-Hughes talks about her fears during the whale-riding scenes.
If we didn’t have a Paikea, we didn’t have a film. A few people could play Koro, a few people could play Porourangi, a few people could play Rawiri. But boy we really needed just one person to play that girl, and that wasn’t an easy find.– Actor Rawiri Paratene (who plays Koro) on the casting of Keisha Castle-Hughes
Key Cast & Crew
See all 21 credits
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