U.S.-JAPAN ART NIGHT – Part 1

Filmmakers Katelyn Rebelo and Kira Matsubara-Dane have collaborated on numerous documentary works, blending poetic storytelling with hand-drawn animation. For the U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Program, they developed “72 Microseasons,” an animated documentary inspired by 24 Solar Terms and 72 Microseasons in the Japanese lunisolar calendar, and a record of a multi-generational family living in Chimata of Yoshino Town. At the talk event held at International House of Japan on August 14, Kira joined onsite and Caitlin participated remotely to present the project.

Although the 72 microseasons are less widely known today, they have played an important role in shaping Japanese tradition and culture. During their residency in Yoshino, the artists lived and worked alongside a family deeply connected to the natural environment, learning from their routines and conversations while creating a 24-chapter animation.

For this presentation, Katelyn and Kira chose not only to screen the animation but also to share it through a physical installation using a phenakistoscope. In an age where images are consumed passively and in overwhelming volume, the act of manually spinning the device becomes a way to reconnect with nature and the cyclical rhythm of the seasons.
Katelyn is based in New York City, and she shared that her senses became more attuned during her time in rural Yoshino, allowing her to experience the harshness of winter and the warmth of spring more vividly.

Katelyn and Kira shared that a film version of the project is also in production. Stay tuned for updates!