GAGA

Nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, Golden Horse Awards

Official Selection, 2022 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival

What happens when there is only one person left to connect the Hayung family to their traditions and beliefs? The Hayung family is threatened to fall apart when their beloved grandfather passes away, uprooting the very glue that held them together. Even after their land was occupied, this surviving indigenous family of the Atayal tribe provides an anchor for their village as the world around them changes.

Following three generations of the Hayung family, GAGA focuses on a granddaughter who has returned from abroad with a surprise pregnancy. Pasang, her father and the eldest son, makes the burdening decision to run for mayor despite the reservations of his family and direct opposition of his younger brother. Gambling with his family’s livelihood and brother’s land, Pasang is taught the brutal importance of family when he is caught in lies and corruption, nearly dragging all of them down after failing to reach his ambitions.

Directed by Taiwan’s first female indigenous filmmaker Laha Mebow (Hang in There, Kids!, SDAFF ‘16) GAGA presents the beginnings of collective healing and love in the face of adversity. Tugging at our heartstrings, this film is both comedy and drama. Never lacking in the drama department, we witness what generational trauma and love can do to and for a family.

—Selena Do