Indigenous Taiwanese film "Gaga (哈勇家)," directed by Golden Horse-winning Atayal filmmaker Laha Mebow (陳潔瑤), will be screened at the Sydney Film Festival, the most renowned movie event in the Southern Hemisphere. From June 7 to 18, the festival will showcase over 200 films from 67 countries, with "Gaga" being featured as part of the "First Nations" category. This marks the first-ever Taiwanese indigenous film to be selected for the festival since its inception in 1954.
At the invitation of the festival organizer, Laha Mebow will attend two screenings and post-screening discussions as a special guest to engage with audiences and international filmmakers. The film "Gaga" premiered at Sydney's Event Cinemas on June 10, where Laha Mebow made an appearance adorned in traditional Atayal clothing. Several Sydney-based Taiwanese community leaders and figures from the Sydney arts and cultural community were invited to participate, including John McDonald, an art critic from the mainstream media outlet "The Sydney Morning Herald" and Guillermo Lozano Leo, the Head of Development at the Biennale of Sydney.
Director-General Fan Huei-Chun (范惠君) of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney also showed her support at the event and acknowledged that the film "Gaga" has helped Australian viewers better understand the rich emotions portrayed in Taiwanese films as well as the Taiwanese indigenous culture.
During the post-screening discussion, Laha Mebow shared that despite her indigenous roots, she had limited knowledge about the Atayal tribe as she was raised in the city and it was through the filming process that she managed to connect herself to her roots and the Atayal cultural heritage. She also shared that her initial plan was to tell the stories of other tribes however someone reminded her to explore the possibility of shooting a film that revolves around "gaga," meaning "rules or laws" in the Atayal language. She also added that it is difficult to explain the important concept of "gaga" therefore she decided to portray its values through a story of a three-generation family.