Director: Vincent Ward

Cinematography: Leon Narbey, Adam Clark

Producers: Vincent Ward, Marg Slater, Tainui Stephens

Running Time: 101 minutes

Year of Production: 2008

Vincent Ward weaves drama with documentary to unravel the extraordinary story of Puhi, the Tuhoe (Iwi- tribal group, North Island, New Zealand) woman he filmed in 1978 for his early film In Spring One Plants Alone. “People said that she walked in two worlds, the living and the dead". Rain of the Children has been described as Vincent Ward’s most personal film ever. Narrating and appearing on camera himself, it is spiked with drama scenes featuring Puhi’s young relatives acting alongside some of New Zealand’s best-known actors, bringing Puhi’s story to life.

New Era Horizons Film Festival, Poland (2009), Grand Prix

Australian Directors Guild Awards Nomination (2009), Best Director

Asia Pacific Screen Awards Nomination (2008), Best Director

Writer / Director / Producer Vincent Ward has earned international acclaim with a reputation for making films with a unique vision, on material that is always human. Vigil (1984), The Navigator (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. Between them they garnered close to 30 national and international awards. What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams, was nominated for two Academy Awards (best production design and best visual effects) and won the Oscar for best visual effects in 1999.

Whilst in the United States, Ward wrote the story for Alien 3 and developed material that was the basis of Last Samurai, selecting its director, and acting as executive producer on that project before writing and directing River Queen. Ward began writing and directing films at 18. In 1978-1981 he conceived, directed, and produced the documentary In Spring One Plants Alone, which provides the starting-point for Rain of the Children.

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

Vincent Ward joins us in Beijing during the festival.