Taiwan’s first Aboriginal woman, Laha Mebow, presents her next feature film “The Skull Oracle”, a dark intergenerational story on women of Aboriginal peoples Tayal, on the Asian project market in Busan.
Tracking the story of a family from Chaman Tayal, the project explores how incalculable ancestral memories resonate in modern times by combining tribal legend, fantasy and romance. The inspiration comes from Mebow’s grandmother, whose name, Laha, is worn in her family.
“I discovered that I came from a family of shamans, but shamanism has become a taboo in our villages. With this film, I want to recover this spiritual dimension that we have lost, ”Mebow told Variety.
“The Skull Oracle” follows the dreams of Zhen, a surgeon who is crossed a mythical bridge formed by Haus, the Tayal Titan with a huge phallus, and meeting his great-grandmother, Sayan, a powerful Daman who underwent a false accusation during the Japanese colonial era. Following the Sayan path, Zhen goes to Japan to discover the truth and accepts his spiritual heritage.
Mebow’s previous work “Gaga”, also a family story, won his best director at the Golden Horse Awards.
“For me, the prices do not change my original intention as a filmmaker,” explains Mebow. With “The Skull Oracle”, she wants to challenge herself by depicting spiritual power through dreams because it is part of the traditional Aboriginal capacities.
The producer of the film, Eric Liang, who worked on “Finding Sayun” and “Gaga” by Mebow, believes that Mebow has the potential to become a model of cultural diversity and an irreplaceable voice for the Taiwanese indigenous culture.
“Throughout her career, Laha used her gentle cinematographic look but resolved to represent the native culture and the stories of women with subtlety and depth,” explains Liang. “We are convinced that” The Skull Oracle “will discover a new path in the fantastic genre and will offer a refreshing and moving experience to the public everywhere.”
At APM, Liang aims to find international producers and distributors who really understand and are ready to support the native culture of Taiwan.
“In the end, our vision is to build an international team that combines commercial value with cultural depth, allowing” the oracle of the skull “to shine on the world market,” explains Liang.
