The Strength of Water
Suitable for mature audiences 2009 1h 26m Film
- Drama
- Māori
About
Released in Kiwi cinemas in mid 2009, The Strength of Water marked the big screen debut of Māori playwright Briar Grace-Smith and Pākehā director Armagan Ballantyne. The drama centres on a 10-year-old twin brother and sister living in an isolated part of the Hokianga, and the events that follow when they encounter a young stranger. The Kiwi-German co-production was invited to film festivals in Berlin and Sydney, after debuting in Rotterdam, and won awards for Best Feature Film Script at the 2010 NZ Scriptwriters Awards.
Key Cast & Crew
MMN
Melanie Mayall-Nahi
As: Melody
HP
Hato Paparoa
As: Kimi
IB
Isaac Barber
As: Tai
PP
Pare Paseka
As: Tirea
SB
Shayne Biddle
As: Gene
BG
Bogumil Godfrejow
Cinematographer
PG
Peter Golub
Composer
RG
Raimond Goebel
Co-Producer
KB
Karl Baumgartner
Co-Producer
JD
Joanne Daniels
As: Kaikaranga
All available videos
Related images
Pare Paseka as Tirea in The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission.
Isaac Barber as Tai, the stranger who arrives in an isolated Māori community in The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the NZ Film Commission
Isaac Barber as Tai and Pare Paseka as Tirea in The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission.
Real life cousins Hato Paparoa (then 11) and Melanie Mayall-Nahi (10) as twins Kimi and Melody, in movie The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission.
Hato Paparoa as Kimi in a scene from The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission.
