Film overview / ‘Whina’ | Canberra CityNews

“Whina” (G) *** and a half

JAMES Napier Robertson and Paula Whetu Jones’ NZ-made movie would possibly confuse some individuals making an attempt to pronounce its title. And good luck to them.

They’d belong to the 99.99999 per cent of the world’s inhabitants not born Kiwis who get it improper. Not me. I’ve been fortunately married to at least one for many years. And I don’t keep in mind listening to her pronounce that phrase.

Kiwi-speak pronunciation of Whina is “Feena”, an abbreviation of Josephina given to Hōhepine Te Wake born within the northern NZ township of Hokianga on December 9, 1895. The legend is that, at first, they thought the child was a boy. She wasn’t. 

The movie that Robertson and Whetu (pron. Fettu) have created is constructed of what some would possibly name bits within the excessive factors of the lifetime of that little lady by two marriages, a number of kids and a group of public honours – OBE, DBE, DCBE, twentieth appointee ever to NZ’s highest civil honour, the Order of New Zealand.

Throughout September and October 1975, at practically 80 years outdated, Whina headed a 1100-kilometre Maori land march from the northern tip of the North Island to Wellington, to help the slogan “not yet one more acre of Maori land”; to demand acknowledgement of Maori property rights below the Treaty of Waitangi (thanks, Wikipedia for that data).

The inspiration for this overview relies on NZ historical past. The screenplay combines scripted data derived from data personal and public and, in her later years, from TV footage; you’ll don’t have any problem understanding which is which. Frankly, every stands by itself toes, no matter topic and origin.

I got here away from “Whina” hoping that individuals will see it for 2 causes. Regardless of its fixed to-ing and fro-ing amongst individuals, locations and occasions, it’s fairly entertaining. Miriama McDowell portraying her in early maturity and Rena Owen as aged, don’t muck round. 

First Australians could effectively really feel the movie’s unabashed proselytising for Maori pursuits to be a legitimate template for contemporary occasions. I’ll go to my grave feeling neither typical nor in any other case about that. 

In any respect Canberra cinemas