#9 Co-directing and using animation in documentary to tell a personal story

For the very first time on Film & Impact Zephrine has the pleasure of speaking with not one, but two filmmakers! She sits down with Kira Dane and Katelyn Rebelo, the makers of the award-winning film Mizuko to talk about co-directing their first film, using experimentation to bring stories to life and using animation in documentary to tell a very personal story. They share what it was like to get their first grant, being “scrappy filmmakers”, receiving recognition for their work for the first time, and having a surreal experience with the “voice of the NYC metro”!

Kira Dane is a half-Japanese filmmaker from New York, currently based in Nara, Japan. Having been shaped and informed by two extremely different cultures, she is most comfortable in gray areas. And as an artist, she's most interested in telling stories that dig for nuance in overlooked places. With a background in illustration, she often utilizes animation and experimental form in her work. Kira is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Film & TV. In 2019 she was named a fellow of the Sundance Ignite Program, and she is an active member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective. Most recently, Kira co-directed the short animated documentary “Mizuko", supported by Tribeca Institute’s If/Then Short Documentary Program. The film received Special Jury Awards at SXSW and IDFA, and was selected to screen at AFI DOCS, Atlanta Film Festival, Palm Springs Shortfest, and others.

Katelyn Rebelo is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Her work sits at the intersection of documentary & experimental film, often exploring stories that reimagine concepts of femininity, politics, and personal freedom. She is currently the Spring 2020 Womxn Filmmaker Fellow at Jacob Burns Film Center, and holds a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a major in Film & Television and minor in Social & Cultural Analysis. Most recently she co-directed, animated, and shot "Mizuko" supported by Tribeca Film Institute's If/Then Short Documentary Program & the Sundance Ignite Program. The film received special jury awards at IDFA and SXSW, and has been selected for AFI DOCS, Atlanta Film Festival, and Palm Springs Shortfest.

See Kira’s work:

Website: https://www.kiradane.com/

Connect with Kira:

• Instagram @kira.dane

See Katelyn’s work:

Website: http://katelynrebelo.com/

Connect with Katelyn:

• Instagram @rebeloke
• Facebook @katelyn.rebelo

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