With the help of more accessible technologies, Indigenous peoples were able to tell their own stories in the 1990s, leading to the first wave of indigenous cinema in Taiwan, providing invaluable historical records that echo with today’s society. Please Give Us a Job placidly records their frustration and anger after foreign migrant policy loosened. Too Young reveals the struggles and quarrels of a young indigenous couple who face various challenges in their unstable life. Children in Heaven presents a captivating contrast with As Life, As Pangcah, as the former showcases indigenous children playing in gravel fields after a forced evacuation, while the latter sheds light on a 94-year-old Pangcah in Hualien harbour village and his persistency in cherishing and defending Amis tribal culture.

1. Children in Heaven

Mayaw Biho / 1997

2. As Life, As Pangcah

Mayaw Biho / 1997

3. Please Give Us a Job

Yang Ming-hui (Umin Howa) / 1997

4. Too Young

Yang Ming-hui (Umin Howa) / 1998