We Were Dangerous

In 1954, shipped off to a rugged outpost island, three teens (Erana James, Manaia Hall and Nathalie Morris) are interned at Te Motu School for Incorrigible and Delinquent Girls. Their life becomes a strict regime of lessons in etiquette and obedience under the rule of a devout matron (Rima Te Wiata). When a doctor arrives, administering punishment under the guise of medical care, the girls spark a plan to escape. We Were Dangerous is the directorial debut of Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu. Premiering at South by Southwest, it won the Special Jury Award, and praise for its "spirited and affecting tale of female rebellion".