Synopsis
Drama meets documentary to unravel the extraordinary story of Puhi, an elderly woman of the Tuhoe iwi (tribe) who believed she had been cursed. Following on from an earlier documentary about Puhi, In Spring One Plants Alone (1978), Rain of the Children sets out to unravel the mystery that has haunted the director for 30 years: Who was Puhi?

Selected as a bride for one of the prophet Rua Kenana's sons, Puhi was the mother of 14 children. She also experienced a succession of tragedies and witnessed many extraordinary events, including the 1916 police raid on the Tuhoe iwi. The film re-creates many of these dramatic scenes from Puhi's life with imagination, sensitivity and insight. These re-enactments are interspersed with early footage, interviews, and the director’s own narrative. In providing a compelling account of Puhi’s life, the film provides us with glimpses of the Tuhoe people, their history, their communities, their prophet and their spirituality.

About the Film and the Director
At 21, Director Vincent Ward made the documentary, In Spring One Plants Alone, which won international awards and set him on his path as a filmmaker with a unique vision. Since then, Ward’s films have earned critical acclaim and festival attention. His Vigil (1984), The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988) and Map of the Human Heart (1993) were the first films by a New Zealander to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival. While in the United States, Ward wrote the story for Alien 3, and developed the material that was the basis of The Last Samurai. He wrote and directed River Queen starring Kiefer Sutherland.

Rain of the Children has been described as Vincent Ward’s most personal film ever. Narrating and appearing on camera himself, Ward tells of his journey to uncover the story of Puhi.

Ward was awarded an Order of New Zealand Merit in 2007 for his contribution to film making.

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