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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. 

Related images

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Pare Paseka as Tirea in The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission.
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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
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Isaac Barber as Tai and Pare Paseka as Tirea in The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission.
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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.
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Hato Paparoa as Kimi in a scene from The Strength of Water.
Photo appears courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission.