WATCH: Itchyworms marks 25th anniversary with stop-motion short film

The Itchyworms is kicking off their 25th anniversary celebrations with the premiere of an animated short film set to the tune of their song “The Life I Know.”

Directed by partners Marie Jamora and Jason McLagan of Indie Pop Films and with animation by Apartment D, “The Life I Know” tells the story of a young toddler named Awit as she grows independent from her mother, learns about her place in the world, and deals with the arrival of a new baby brother.

At the center of the film, of course, is Itchyworms’ piano-driven ballad “The Life I Know,” off their latest album, 2020’s Waiting for the End to Start.

The tender tale is told in stop-motion animation that pays tribute to Filipino culture in its visuals, incorporating patterns inspired by the traditional weavers of the T’boli tribe, known as the dreamweavers.

“The Dream World is made entirely of these traditional woven fabrics, and the characters are all made out of wool and other weaving materials,” said director of animation Cami Kwan.

“This fundamentally links the characters to the Dream World, which we also designed to evoke the feeling and patterns of a womb. Dreams and wombs are safe spaces, where anything is possible and where life can be created from nothing,” she shared.

Cami said that the film documents the universal experience of growing up, and how change is a frightening but central part of life’s process.

“There is a beauty and awe in embracing a wider world, of seeing beyond yourself, but there is an inherent loss in that as well, and we wanted to explore that sense of melancholy as well as that sense of power and joy,” she said.

Marie shared that the film was inspired by her own experience as a new mom.

“Being a new mother myself and remembering the experience of having a baby in my own womb, I always wondered what was going on inside, whether there was a different universe that my baby lived in,” she said.

The filmmaker has worked on her fair share of music videos, and has worked with the Itchyworms in the past as a former manager and the music director for their hits “Antipara,” “Buwan,” and “Love Team.”

Vocalist and drummer Jazz Nicolas shared that they trusted Marie with a music video for their band, and the song was her personal pick.

“I trust that she would put her whole heart into it and come up with something awesome, as she always does,” he said.

“Personally, I always thought that her talent is really for the international stage,” co-lead vocalist, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Jugs Jugueta added. “With this project, we hope The Itchyworms too, can reach an international audience.”

The release of the short film kicks off the band’s 25th anniversary campaign. They are also set to release their 25th anniversary single “Eto Na,” a music video for their album’s title track “Waiting for the End to Start,” a mockumentary, and a podcast.

Itchyworms is made up of Jazz, Jugs, Chino Singson, and Kelvin Yu. – Rappler.com