Bunkiatr Katatrepan

Bunkiatr Katatrepanis a Taiwanese film director and visual storyteller whose work focuses on Indigenous culture, identity, and cultural preservation. He is known for directing films and music videos that highlight the traditions and stories of Taiwan's Indigenous communities. His acclaimed music video Pinuyumayan Song of Triumphant Return received the Best Pacific & Asia Music Video Award at the International Music Video Awards in Budapest. Through his filmmaking, Katatrepan aims to preserve cultural heritage and give voice to Indigenous perspectives while bringing their stories to international audiences.

Your work is deeply connected to the landscapes of Taitung. How do the ocean and mountains influence your creative process when shaping music and visuals?

In Taitung, the mountains and the sea converge at a breath's distance. This singular landscape is more than a breathtaking vista; it stands as a sanctuary of ancestral guardianship and a testament to Puyuma heritage. Through the grounded architecture of melody and voice, the profound resonance between land and ocean comes alive. We hope that these musical creations will allow the traditional songs of the Puyuma to transcend borders, carrying the vibrant energy needed to voyage onto the global stage.

You mentioned your mission is to bring Puyuma traditional music to a global audience. What reactions have surprised you most from international viewers discovering your culture for the first time?

What brings me the deepest joy and wonder is seeing international listeners drawn to the world of the Puyuma through my music, using these melodies as a gateway to discover Taiwan. It is a profoundly moving revelation to realize that a simple song can bridge such vast distances.

Around 90% of the cast and crew on this project were indigenous artists and professionals. What did this cross-tribal and intergenerational collaboration teach you personally?

Our vision for the music video is to honor the authentic perspective of the indigenous community, ensuring their true voice is reflected. Concurrently, we pull back the curtain on the music industry for our youth, offering them an immersive gateway into creative production. By fostering a sustainable cultural ecosystem, we hope to ensure that the melodies of the Puyuma continue to flourish and resonate across the global landscape for generations to come.

The choreography in the video reflects a historical conflict from a century ago. What emotions or messages were most important for you to communicate through movement?

The ' Pinuyumayan Song of Triumphant Return'—the choreographer by Lin Hui-ying of the Miaputr Cultural Arts Troupe from the Pinaski tribe. Interpreted by the Indigenous Dance Troupe of the Taitung Senior Commercial Vocational High School, this piece articulates a profound dual message: 'united resolve for guardianship' and 'cultural resilience transcending adversity.' Each explosive movement re-enacts the heroic postures of the warriors of the past and serves as a powerful reminder for younger generations to honor the inherited courage of our ancestors, to confront the multifaceted challenges of contemporary society boldly, and to uphold our culture's steadfast refusal to surrender.

Your grandfather, Lu Senbao, left a powerful musical legacy. What is the most valuable lesson or inspiration you inherited from him as an artist?

The musical legacy of my grandfather, Baliwakes Raera, has profoundly shaped my ethos within the creative industry, instilling in me a devotion to songwriting rooted in selfless generosity. For me, tradition is never an anchor of stagnation; rather, it is a living current. Music possesses the unique power to empower souls and awaken a collective journey of self-discovery. Ultimately, it serves as a visceral rite—a way to remember and honor Mother Earth through our bodies and our song.

Music often has a personal connection for artists. What does music mean to you personally, and how does it help you express emotions or experiences you might not always be able to express through acting?

For me, singing takes more courage than acting—maybe because I come from an acting background.
I feel that singing is even more personal than acting because it feels like raising your voice and speaking out loud, putting yourself on stage, and telling a story that is deeply connected to you.
I have always surrounded myself with music. On set, I often use specific songs to help me get into character or set the right mood. You’d often see me walking around with my headphones on, letting the music influence my emotions and performance. My favorite song for dramatic inspiration is Lux Aeterna from Requiem for a Dream.
Music constantly inspires me—especially when I’m writing a story or a scene.

After more than three decades working in media, how do you think the representation of indigenous communities in Taiwanese media has evolved?

The lens through which Taiwanese media views Indigenous communities has fundamentally transformed, shattering the colonial shackles of curiosity and 'the Other' to give rise to our own sovereign voice. This journey, spanning decades, is not merely a chronicle of technological advancement. It is a sacred, painful history of resilience—a testament to the blood, sweat, and tears shed by Indigenous peoples to seize the airwaves and reclaim the power to tell our own stories.

You expressed interest in exploring supernatural and thriller genres through Puyuma spirituality and forest taboos. What would an indigenous thriller from your perspective look and feel like?

Rooted in the profound spiritual cosmology, sorcery, and age-grade male educational setting system of the Puyuma nation, alongside their stringent traditional hunting taboos, this contemporary Indigenous thriller is conceived to fundamentally dismantle the conventional horror tropes of Western and Han cultures. Rather than relying on familiar archetypes of monsters and ghosts, it reframes dread through an Indigenous lens, offering a radical departure from mainstream cinematic formulas.

Do you feel that younger indigenous creators in Taiwan today have more freedom to experiment and redefine traditional art forms?

Taiwanese Indigenous youth today operate within a historical pinnacle of creative liberty, yet I earnestly hope the next generation will relentlessly cultivate their cultural literacy. To know oneself radically is the only true defense against the relentless tides of foreign cultural assimilation. We must ground our feet in our own soil so that our voices may carry without being lost in the noise.

Your work blends ancestral traditions with contemporary filmmaking techniques. How do you balance authenticity with modern visual storytelling?

To honor ancestral tradition is not to relegate it to cultural stasis. Whatever technical craftsmanship I use in my work is to spark a global recognition of Puyuma heritage. While cinema operates within the tangible domain of visual art, traditional culture is frequently woven from abstract spirituality and shared ancestral memories. It requires the vocabulary of contemporary cinematography to translate these profound, intangible echoes into a visceral visual language.

After winning the Best Asia and Pacific Music Video category at the IMVA Awards, what do you hope audiences will still remember and feel years after watching this project?

Through my work, I invite audiences to transcend temporal boundaries and intimately re-encounter the richness of Puyuma culture. This international accolade stands as definitive proof that 'the more localised, the more global' is no mere rhetoric, but a living, breathing testament to the power of original creation. It is my sincere hope that this honour emboldens our indigenous youth to shatter conventional frameworks, harnessing the profound wisdom of our ancestors to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the world.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Photos: Oliver Look