This Cycle That Was Passed Down To Me

Katelyn Rebelo / United States, Portugal / 2025 / World Premiere / 9 min.

synopsis

Recordings of the stories told by a bold and headstrong grandmother, who recounts episodes from her youth without sentimentality, form the basis for hand-made and animated collages of home movies, in which grainy outlines transform into faces and situations. However, the story of a woman who had to grow up quickly, worked hard, entered into a pragmatic marriage, and never fulfilled her dream does not sound bitter. The cyclical rhythm of images and voice opens up space for reflection on heritage, memory, and the feeling of being stuck, which sometimes lasts a lifetime.

“Using home movies from her life and mine as the base for handmade animation loops, I repetitively and obsessively listened and drew, while lingering in the feeling of what it means to be stuck.” — Katelyn Rebelo

biography

Katelyn Rebelo is a documentary and experimental filmmaker based in New York. She works with hand animation and analogue manipulations. Her work is permeated with veiled feelings, pauses, and slowness; she explores the contours of power structures in intimate stories. Her debut, Mizuko (2019), dedicated to the theme of grief after miscarriage, was nominated for the IDFA Documentary Awards for Best Short Documentary in 2020.