‘Pike River’ (2026) Social justice retelling arrives at the perfect time.

PIKE RIVER

Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse seek accountability on every level, from Pike River to the Prime Minister. When the corporation meant to protect the workers fails to keep its promises to recover the men’s bodies, the families involved seek an apology and justice. Legal and moral blow after blow, Anna and Sonya hold the line. Through grief and illness, this grassroots activism changes policy forever.

Lucy Lawless is unrecognizable as Helen Kelly, the duo’s lawyer. Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm deliver heartfelt performances. Malcolm’s Sonya is mired in rage, sadness, and emotional fear. Lynskey is strong, proud, and powerful. Together, they tell a story of a seemingly unlikely pair of women who share a common goal of decency and legacy.

The film culminates with legal updates. Archival footage brings everything home. Ever since 2010, Osborne and Rockhouse have continued to advocate for corporate manslaughter laws and health and safety accountability in New Zealand. Pike River solidly stands alongside social justice films like Erin Brockovich, exposing governmental cover-ups and corporate lies. The road to justice is long and hard, but doing the right thing is worth every small step forward.

Pike River Official Trailer:

Pike River is IN THEATERS & ON DIGITAL FRIDAY, JANUARY 30

Directed by Robert Sarkies; Written by Fiona Samuel
Theaters and Cities to be announced.

Melanie Lynskey stars in this David and Goliath drama based on actual events following the 2010 Pike River Mine disaster that took the lives of nearly 30 men working underground. A touchpoint in global culture at the time, two women—one who lost her son, the other her husband—would make it their mission to bring a negligent corporation to account, no matter the odds stacked against them.

Co-starring Robyn Malcolm and Lucy Lawless, the women would fight for years—through life’s changes and challenges—to have their voices heard, culminating in a pivotal political moment for New Zealand as Jacinda Ardern found herself at the head of her party and poised to become Prime Minister.

PIKE RIVER arrives in the U.S. with an inspiring message of perseverance and hope brought to life by strong performances from Lynskey, Malcolm and the entire ensemble cast.

138mins | New Zealand | In English | 239:1 | 4K DCP | TBC

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