The birth of Gamu-Gamo came from a very personal place for us. A year or so ago now, Jem approached me with the idea of making a short that centers around the theme of family but also individuality. Since we are both Filipino, naturally the script features a Pinay protagonist. We not only find our main character, Liezel, struggling between maintaining her independence while facing the expectations of our culture, we also see how that struggle strains her relationship with her mother. A lot of the characters and situations in Gamu-Gamo are drawn from shared experiences between the two of us and our families. That being said, however, we hope everyone—no matter what your ethnic or cultural background may be—can relate to the struggle of staying true to oneself while weighing the balance of family and all the baggage that sometimes comes with that dynamic.

- NADINE-GABRIELLE NATIVIDAD