A still image from award-winning domumentary Voices in the Clouds.
A documentary by American Tony Coolidge about his personal journey discovering and exploring his Atayal roots in Taiwan. Tony is the founder of atayal.org.
Voices in the Clouds explores issues of personal and cultural identity. Tony’s documentary is interesting because he is, from the perspective of mainstream, ethnic Han Taiwanese society, a foreigner; and at the same time he is a Taiwanese aboriginal. His story creates a bridge between the remote interior of Taiwan and the outside world.
Simple, honest, unsophisticated, sincere: these elements culminate in some heart-touching moments, when Tony finally meets the oldest surviving members of his mother’s tribe. The women he meets are among the last of their tribe who bear the facial tattoos that were an integral part of their culture.