Stuff/ Waikato Times Graeme Tuckett, 4.5/ 5 Stars. “Great performances from all of the cast, but the absolute stars here will always be Miriama McDowell and Rena Owen, playing Whina as a grown and elderly woman respectively”
The story of Dame Whina Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, especially women. Flawed yet resilient, Whina tells the story of a woman formed by tradition, compelled by innovation, and guided by an instinct for equality and justice whose legacy as the Te Whaea o te Motu (Mother of the Nation) was an inspiration to an entire country.
WHINA |PG, Violence 112 mins, New Zealand 2022
Director: James Napier Robertson, Paula Whetu Jones
Cast: Rena Owen, James Rolleston, Miriama McDowell, Vinnie Bennett, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne
Friday 6th January 7pm, Saturday 21st January 5.00pm, Sunday 5th February 7.30pm
Ticket prices: $15 Adults, $12 Concession and $8 Children.
Raglan Movies at the Old School, 5 Stewart St, Raglan 3225.
Book online: raglanmovies.nz, call into the Old School office Mon-Fri 10am to 2pm. (Office closed public holidays)
Door sales from 30 mins before session times.
Licensed bar & homemade snacks on sale.
Rena Owen (Once Were Warriors), Miriama McDowell (Coming Home in the Dark) and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne (Cousins) play cherished Māori activist Dame Whina Cooper throughout the years in this biopic directed by James Napier Robertson (The Dark Horse) and Paula Whetu Jones (Waru).
Festival/Awards:
2022: Sydney Film Festival, Māoriland Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Aussie and Kiwi Film Festival Prague, Hawai’i International Film Festival.
Director: James Napier Robertson, Paula Whetu Jones
Cast: Rena Owen, James Rolleston, Miriama McDowell, Vinnie Bennett, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne
PG, Violence 112 mins, New Zealand