The Roaring of the Carabao

Experimental Animated Short, 8min, 4k, DCP, 2023

Born in the United States, a daughter visits the Philippines for the first time. On the night of her arrival to her mother's homeland, a volcano erupts. Mesmerized by the land’s turbulence, she wanders through the past, the present, and the hereafter following the glow of an ember.

Utilizing aspects of hauntology, The Roaring of the Carabao engages with the volcano’s ongoing activity as a spectre of the production of Filipino Americanism; silenced imaginaries never properly mourned for and visions of a future that were promised but never arrived- a method of considering the volcano’s activity itself as a process of relentless remembering. Activating the Taal volcano as a dynamic character reconciling with the land's history, the film narrates a story of a night of the volcano’s eruption, intergenerational anger and a desire for heat.

Teaser: https://vimeo.com/858197843?share=copy

CREDITS

This project is made possible, in part, with funds from the Media Arts Assistance Fund, a regrant partnership of NYSCA and Wave Farm, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support by Harvestworks Educational Scholarship.

Voiceover Recording Engineer: Kevin Ramsay
Musical Score / Sound Design: Wavesovspace
Re-Recording Mixer: Lorenz Fischer
Director / Writer / Animator: Angeline Marie Michael Meitzler

Selected Screenings

2024 - San Francisco Frozen Film Festival

2024 - Streaming June 15-16 on The Filipino Channel

2024 - CAAMFest

2024 - 27th Asian American Film Festival. Foundation for Asian American Independent Media

2024 - Confluence Film Festival. Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and Natural Academy of Science

2024 - Palm Springs Animation Festival

2023 - A Spotlight on Digital Design. NOW Gallery.

2023 - 46th Asian American International Film Festival - New York Premiere

2023 - Diwa Filipino Film Showcase of Seattle

2023 - Tacoma Film Festival

2023 - San Diego Filipino Film Festival

2023 - Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival