Skip to main content
Tayal Forest Club film image; two people jumping through river in forest

Tayal Forest Club

Two teens lose their way during a hike in the dense and mountainous Atayal homelands, crossing paths with a man who at first appears to be the town drunk.

 

Supported by

    

Media Partner

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Yukan Losing, Buya Watan, Kesi Silan

Credits
Country of Origin

Taiwan

Year

2024

Language

In Atayal and Mandarin with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
18+
19 min
Cinemas of Asia Drama Indigenous Cinema Shorts Women Directors
Nia Tero Foundation, Upstander Project Production

This short is featured in:

Tayal Forest Club film image; two people crossing low bridge over water

VIFF Short Forum 3

Shorts from Canada, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, and USA.

 

Book Tickets

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Tracy Rector

Producer

Adam Mazo, Chen Yi Chen, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector, Taylor Hensel

Screenwriter

Laha Mebow, Yayut Icyang

Cinematography

Liao Ching-Yao

Editor

Sauli Pillay

Original Music

Jennifer Kreisberg

Art Director

Sheng-Lin Wu

Laha Mebow headshot; Tayal Forest Club director

Laha Mebow 陳潔瑤

As the first Indigenous woman film director from Taiwan, Laha Mebow is best known for feature films focusing on the Tayal community. Her 2022 feature film, Gaga (2022), garnered Laha the coveted best director award at the 2022 Golden Horse Awards, an annual celebration of Chinese language cinema. With it, Laha became the first Taiwanese woman and the first Indigenous director to win the Golden Horse award for best director. Her previous feature, Lokah Laqi! (Hang in There, Kids!) (2016) won five awards at the 2016 Taipei Film Awards, including Best Narrative and the Grand Prize. Lokah Laqi! was Taiwan’s submission to the 2017 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

 

VIFF Short Forum

See more shorts in this series

VIFF Short Forum 1
Judas Icarus Twists His Wrist film image; glowing silhouette of a person

VIFF Short Forum 1

Dir. Various
107 min

The Short Forum kicks off with an all-Canadian program.

International Village 10 International Village 8
VIFF Short Forum 2
You Can’t Get What You Want But You Can Get Me film image; two people with pelvises pressed together

VIFF Short Forum 2

Dir. Various
115 min

Shorts from Canada, Finland, Japan, and the Netherlands.

International Village 8
VIFF Short Forum 3
Tayal Forest Club film image; two people crossing low bridge over water

VIFF Short Forum 3

Dir. Various
112 min

Shorts from Canada, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, and USA.

International Village 8
VIFF Short Forum 4
When the Wind Rises film image; people picking things up from shallow water

VIFF Short Forum 4

Dir. Various
112 min

Shorts from Brazil, Kenya, Martinique, Mexico, Taiwan, and USA.

International Village 8
VIFF Short Forum 5
Strawberry Shortcake film image; woman sitting on ground in front of strawberry cake

VIFF Short Forum 5

Dir. Various
115 min

Shorts from Belgium, Canada, France, South Korea, Taiwan, and USA.

VIFF Centre - Vancity Theatre
VIFF Short Forum 6
Palestine Islands film image; two people in a deserted sandy street

VIFF Short Forum 6

Dir. Various
117 min

Shorts from Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Lebanon, Palestine, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

International Village 8
VIFF Short Forum 7
We Deserve an Empire film image; lake in purple lighting at night with canoe

VIFF Short Forum 7

Dir. Various
118 min

Shorts from Armenia, Canada, Tibet, Colombia, Japan, and Turkey.

International Village 8
VIFF Short Forum 8
Sauna Day film image; men lying in a sauna

VIFF Short Forum 8

Dir. Various
106 min

Shorts from Canada, Hong Kong, Estonia, India, Japan, Mexico, and Spain.

International Village 8
VIFF Short Forum 9
Uncommon Ground film image; person standing in a forest

VIFF Short Forum 9

Dir. Various
114 min

Shorts from Australia, Canada, France, and South Korea.

International Village 8
Short Fuse
Inkwo: For When the Starving Return film image; two people and a dog sitting around a campfire at night

Short Fuse

Dir. Various
83 min

A unique collection of Canadian and International shorts: charming, funny, even a bit scary. These filmmakers bring unique stories to screen, showcasing animated imaginary and natural worlds, Indigenous futurist tales, and experiences from the everyday.

International Village 8