FAITH HUBLEY
IN MEMORIAM
Interview

We dedicate this edition of Animac 2002 to one of the independent animators most committed to the art and themes of her time, Faith Hubley, who died on 7th December 2001.

I recognise that the first time I approached the figure of Faith Hubley, I did so attracted by the work she undertook together with her husband John Hubley, the three Oscars, the four nominations and all the fame of the mythical art director of Disney and soul of the UPA. My surprise was in discovering a creative talent and a different point of view in films signed by Faith Hubley alone such as The Cosmic Eye, My Universe Inside Out, Rainbows of Hawaii or Who Am I? I discovered another language, with a distinct tempo and a conception of cinema both intimate and universal at the same time. I felt like someone who had seen the paintings of Frida Kahlo upon entering Diego Rivera’s house.

Thanks to its extensive distribution on DVD today it is possible to see the large filmography of Faith Hubley and enjoy animation distinct from the usual in a cinema that must be understood more as a work of art than conventional cinema of classical narrative or traditional characters.

Faith Hubley has been one of the most important independent animators of our time. Her cosmovision and the tremendous life force of her films reach the viewer through a graphic universe reminiscent of artists such as Miró, Paul Klee or the primitive art of other cultures.

On the occasion of the International Festival of Catalonia, Faith Hubley visited Sitges last October. There I had the unforgettable experience of accompanying her during her stay and, together with Kieran Argo (Chairman of Bristol Animation Encounters), to talk about her professional career and her ideas in an interview on the shores of the Mediterranean, from which I have compiled a few extracts.
Q- You were the rebellious girl who didn’t want to study dentistry and even left home before the age of 18, because you were so attracted by the artistic scene. How did the young girl from Hell’s Kitchen meet Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and others of the great names of American folk music?

A-They weren’t big names then, or we didn’t think that way. When I left home I got a scholarship at the New Theater School. To pay off the scholarship, I had to work in their office, booking artists from union lists. They were paid five or ten dollars, which is what Woody (Guthrie) and Pete Seeger would get. Woody was a very sweet man. They wanted to sing to the working class, it was not for the money. It was a totally different way of being. And the same with the actors; we had mobile theatre units that would perform for the people. I loved doing it and I loved sending them out. Sometimes I would go with them because I loved listening to their music...

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