Title: We Were Dangerous

Director: Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu

Year: 2024

Country and language: New Zealand/Aotearoa, English

Genre: Drama

Australian distributor: Madman

From Sydney Film Festival: From director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu and executive producer Taika Waititi, We Were Dangerous is a funny yet frightening drama following three defiant girls caught in New Zealand’s history of eugenics. Two Māori teens, Nellie (Erana James, The Wilds) and Daisy (Manaia Hall), attempt to escape an institution for delinquent girls in 1954 New Zealand. They are caught, and & – in the ensuing bureaucratic frenzy – relocated to a remote island facility, where they team up with well-to-do Lou (Nathalie Morris, Bump). Life on the island is dominated by The Matron (Rima Te Wiata, Hunt for the Wilderpeople), a stern taskmistress who delights in experimental dead-of-night punishments. Unbroken, the trio begin to plot another daring escape. Stewart-Te Whiu displays a deft hand with her trio of young stars in an ultimately inspirational film about the power of female friendship.