Laka Umaw

Ah Lun, who has a choice to make in the underworld, decides to be a god of love in Chinese mythology. As he advances with his tasks on Earth, his biggest challenge is to tie a red string with the woman he loves the most.

Somewhere Over the Dreamland adopts a portmanteau form to provide a realistically poetic depiction of the sad fate of two generations of aboriginals as alienated laborers in Taipei city.

To pay for his terminally ill wife’s expensive medical bills, former gang member Ah Nan decides to risk everything on a potentially lucrative drug deal, but the situation turns out to be far more dangerous than he imagined.

Starring pop idol Bobby Duo (竇智孔) and emerging young actress Lin Jia-yu (林家宇), the film begins with Meibana (played by Duo), a 26-year-old Tao man, deciding to take a break from his stressful life in Taipei and return to Orchid Island. There he learns to appreciate his people's traditional way of life as he whiles away his time collecting the island's natural sounds with his recordist and mentor A-fei.

As a young boy, Fa'aye spent his days alongside his father deep in their lands, surrounded by towering bamboo and learning the ways of Atayal culture and knowledge. Now an elder, Fa'aye is caught between the trappings of the present day and trying to maintain a meaningful connection to his traditional territory, which has now been privatized by the state. With his young grandson in tow, Fa'aye is determined to return to the forest and reassert his duty to care for the bamboo despite the serious legal ramifications of his actions. The Crying Bamboo Forest is a remarkable first feature film that reflects the struggles and challenges currently faced by many Indigenous people living in Taiwan.