Project Detail

Barbarian Princess

Synopsis

Set against the dramatic island backdrop of Hawaii, and based on the inspiring true story, Barbarian Princess is a breathtaking romance about an unlikely heroine and her unwavering fight to defend the independence of her people.
 
1888 - Hawaii is a paradise teetering on the brink of civil war. The tide has turned against the long-incumbent royal family, under the malevolent influence of a rebel party with links to the American government. Within months, the Palace is overthrown, and the royals are exiled.
 
Among them, is the beautiful Princess Ka`iulani. Scarcely 12 years old, she is separated from her family and her homeland, and, for her own safety, is sent to a climate and a country that couldn’t be more different from Hawaii – Victorian England.
 
Coming to terms with her fate, Kaiulani undergoes a harsh and testing education that equips her with a sense of honour, duty and pride. What’s more, she falls in love, with the spirited and rebellious young Englishman, Clive Davies.
 
Emerging from her childhood, and inspired by her blossoming romance, Kaiulani realises that she must do all that she can to bring an end to the injustices suffered by her people. She resolves to sail to America, to meet President Grover Cleveland, and to prove that she is anything but a ‘barbarian princess’.
 
Barbarian Princess combines the profound natural beauty of Hawaii with the sweeping romance of a classic Merchant Ivory epic.

Details

Year
2010
Type of film
Features
Running time
103 mins
Format
35 mm
Director
Marc Forby
Producer
Leilani Forby, Wanda Watamull
Editor
Beverley Mills
Screenwriter
Marc Forby
Director of Photography
Gabriel Beristain
Production Designer
Steven Lawrence
Sound
Tony Dawe
Composer
Stephen Warbeck
Principal cast
Q’orianka Kilcher, Shaun Evans, Barry Pepper, Will Patton

Genre

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Matador Pictures and Island Film Group

c/o ContentFilm International

Sales Company

ContentFilm International

19 Heddon Street
London W1B 4BG
UK

T +44 (0)20 7851 6500

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

No Women No Children No Women No Children

Director: Akporé Uzoh

Year: 2025

The aftermath of a sexual assault (rape). Exploring the deep-felt consequences for all involved. At its heart an epic story of a couple's fight for the survival of their love.

LILI LILI

Director: Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari

Year: 2027

Immerse yourself as a dark-web hacker in LILI, a neo-noir interactive adaptation of Macbeth set in contemporary Iran. As Lili plots a murder to secure her husband's rise in the militia, your covert actions expose the machinery of surveillance, power, and violence in a regime where nothing stays hidden.

Adam exploring the theatre Ghost Town

Director: Fireproof Games

Year: 2025

Ghost Town is a single player VR puzzle-adventure set in 1980s Britian from the makers of The Room. Life has been going well for Edith. The paranormal detective agency she runs with her flatmate has never been busier, she’s almost up-to-date with her rent and the ghosts in her bathroom mirror have been less demanding than usual. But Edith’s world is turned upside down when her brother goes missing and a mysterious new lead promises to reveal clues of his whereabouts. Edith’s journey begins with a visit to a remote Scottish island in the hope a gifted clairvoyant can provide some much-needed answers.