Alexa Rose 2025

Abstract

ANUNUGBA is a 2:37 minute animated short film about Celene, an overseas Filipino worker. When memories from Celene’s past seeps into her life in the present, she realizes the regret she feels for the years she’s spent away from her loved ones. The title, “Anunugba,” is a Visayan word that translates to moth. ANUNUGBA uses the analogy between overseas Filipino workers and moths to represent the exploitative nature that overseas workers have to go to and the unattainability of their wants. This analogy was heavily inspired by the phrase, “like a moth to a flame.” Within the context of Filipino culture, moths (and butterflies) hold significance as there’s a commonly-held belief that passed loved-ones come back to visit as these insects.

This project acted an animated production, with the crew members completing the entire animation in under 3 months. Over the course of this time, I directed more than 20 people. While I did the majority of the pre-production and clean-up animation, my team assisted with some of the rough animation, clean-up, and backgrounds so that the film could be completed by the deadline.