Eliana Tan

Eliana Tan is an Indigenous activist from the Jakun tribe in rural Pahang, a state in Peninsula Malaysia. The 22-year-old activist came from a family that emphasises education to empower the Indigenous resistance for land sovereignty in a region where deforestation is rampant.

In 2021, Eliana led the young Indigenous women in her region to produce a documentary on Loss and Damage across their villages as part of the Weaving Hopes for the Future programme, which was screened successfully in Glasgow during COP26.

Eliana co-founded an outfit called "Apa Kata Wanita Orang Asli" or "What do the Indigenous women say", a platform for young Indigenous women to produce documentaries and content to dispel myths about the Indigenous people and women. The outfit has since screened multiple of their work in Indigenous communities throughout Malaysia and at the Freedom Film Fest, where Eliana is currently working as the Indigenous coordinator.

Today, Eliana continues her film outreach by organising community-based screenings in rural areas, inspiring communities to fight back and protect their land in the face of the climate crisis.