Thao People: Echoes of Sun Moon Lake

Synopsis
Most people know Sun Moon Lake by name. Few know its soul.
Nestled in the mountains of central Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake is the island’s largest body of water — and one of its most visited destinations. But beyond the tour boats and lakeside promenades lies something far older: the ancestral homeland of the Thao, one of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, who have called these waters home for generations.
Long before the lake became a postcard, the Thao made a remarkable transformation — from mountain hunters to masters of a distinctive fishing culture shaped entirely by the rhythms of the water. That deep bond with nature didn’t fade with time. It was codified into ritual.
Every July, the Thao hold the Pai-man, known in English as the White Eel Festival — a sacred ceremony that sits at the heart of their cultural identity. The white eel is more than a creature of the lake; it is a living symbol of warrior strength and communal vitality. To honor it is to pray for the survival and flourishing of the Thao people.
They go beyond the lake’s famous shores and launch the canoes into the Zhuoshui River, following routes that have served as invisible highways for centuries — tracing the water paths that connect the Bukzhalan (Bakulas) and Wujie communities. Here, the histories of two indigenous cultures — the Bunun and the Thao — converge. Their shared memories are not written in books, but carved into the landscape itself: into the currents, the riverbanks, the songs passed down through generations.
This is Sun Moon Lake as it has never been shown before — not as a scenic destination, but as a living, breathing world. A journey through Taiwan’s secret waterways, where culture runs as deep as the water itself.
Best Woman Film-maker
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