Baunay Watan
Directing
Biography
Baunay Watan is a preservationist and researcher of Atayal culture from the Skaru community in Hsinchu County. Trained by the Full Shot Foundation's Local Documentary Filmmakers Training Scheme, he has been documenting the traditions of Atayal communities through images and films since 1996.
Known For
After restoring their Ceremony of Ancestral Spirits, the Atayal people of the Raisinay Village, Miaoli County, were distressed by the absence of their traditional garments. Yuma Taru, a researcher of Atayal folk costume, decided to trace back their history by conducting interviews with the elders, learning weaving techniques from them. This documentary captures the passing down of the weaving art, and the younger generation’s yearnings for revival of their traditional clothes.
The Traditional Clothes of Raisinay Village
"In the Making: An Australia–Taiwan Indigenous Art Exchange" is a 43-minute bilingual documentary co-produced by Australia and Taiwan. It explores a five-year exchange program between Indigenous artists from both regions. Filmed mainly in Taiwan in late 2024, the artists' first in-person meeting reveals the depth and transformative potential of cross-cultural collaboration through interviews, shared creative processes, and the creation of new collaborative artworks.