Body World, directed by Kitty Faingold, is an unforgettable venture through the inner workings of the human vessel. Imagery so permanently etched on our brains, those stretched colours and lines continue to swirl long afterwards.
One of three very accomplished animated shorts in the Femme Filmmakers Festival official selection, Body World gives us a fresh perspective of the female form, but makes it an actual journey. Be it discovery or exploration, these memorable visuals make us scratch our heads and want to know more.
I got to speak to Kitty Faingold about her adventurous ride on film. Check out the interview below, but first…
What the Official Jury had to say:
Impressive and just wild. I was hypnotised from beginning to end. The style of animation felt as unique as the creative thought behind the story.
Niccolò Montanari
I thought the animation was garish and gross but in a really great way! The colour palette was beautiful with the lime green against the pink. I loved the animation of the moon kicking the sun out of the sky when it gets to night time. The music and sound is jarring and works really well with the animation, it gave it an abstract dreamlike feel.
Caitlin Higgins
Quite eccentric, surreal, and intelligently artistic treatise on the subject of the female body. Wonderful animation production that would most likely be an arthouse cult classic if adapted into a feature-length animated film.
Jasmine May
Gallery
Interview
Robin Write: What forms of art were to attracted to as a child? What were you good at?
Kitty Faingold: I’ve always loved drawing. When I was a little girl I used to have an imaginary world that I could visit when I closed my eyes, and when I came back I would draw the things I’d seen there.
One of my earliest memories is of my mum teaching me how to draw human faces; she had a really 70s style of drawing which I think has stuck with me. My grandmother used to give me old bills and scrap paper to draw on the back of and then we’d staple them together to make a little book.
So drawing was definitely my first love and painting came much later – in my early twenties, when I went to art school. Creating animations is a pretty recent thing for me, but I feel like I’m reconnecting to my childhood roots by channeling imaginary worlds again.
And were your favourite films as a kid?
I had a big collection of all the Disney classics on video that I’d watch over and over again, but even as a child I had a penchant for offbeat and scary or dark films. Every Friday after school my parents took me to a video store to rent a movie for the weekend, and my number one choices were: The Never Ending Story, Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, The Witches and Return to Oz.
And has your taste in film narrative changed much as you grew up?
Not really.
When did you know you wanted to make films? And why animation?
Recently. I feel like animation is a natural evolution for people that love drawing. It’s like Carl Sagan’s Flatland inhabitants discover the existence of two infinite new dimensions: space and time. It feels so liberating and daunting, as an artist it’s really exciting to have these powers at your fingertips.
What is the process for creating such a vivid animation as Body World?
I love surrealism and art that flows to and from that mysterious subconscious place in our minds, so I used a stream of consciousness method to create my film. Subsequent layers of increasingly crystallised consciousness were then applied on top to make sure that I was in control of my creation; aesthetic choices based on particular references, the sound design process, etc. I wanted the film to both be about something concrete and open ended at the same time.
Who or what are some of your inspiration sources? Is it a stab in the dark to suggest you are a fan of David Lynch and Dario Argento, for example?
No stab in the dark; l am definitely a fan of both directors! I also love Terry Gilliam, and specifically within animation: Renee Laloux, Ralph Bakshi, Suzan Pitt, Sally Cruikshank, Amy Lockhart, Karen Aqua, Peter Foldes and many more (my list is constantly growing).
Talk a little about absurdism as a narrative source. How much of Body World is story and how much is interpretation?
The basic premise of my film was to work around the idea of waking up into someone else’s dream. I guess that could qualify as absurd? To get myself into the mood of a dream world I let my mind revert back to a childlike state of no inhibitions, feverish emotions and raw curiosity. Free wandering through a landscape of convoluted symbols and highly charged reactions.
So although there is a narrative story about a character on a particular journey, the imagery in the film is symbolic and the language non verbal so that there’s room for individual interpretations of meaning.
What do you think your audiences get from this short film?
I think lots of people find it quite funny because it’s absurd, some people think it’s weird because of that same reason. I just enjoy it when people seem to like it and they usually have different interpretations and pick up on different things. The film has a life of its own now which is enriched by the audience and their multiplicity of interpretations.
Do you consider it a female-based story, or are the themes universal?
Yeah, pretty female based I guess, but I like Carl Jung’s idea that everyone has both an inner male and an inner female, so I think anyone could potentially relate on some level.
What is your general view on the success and awareness of female filmmakers over the years? How is it changing? What could make even greater changes?
I’m pretty new to the filmmaking world so I don’t know what things were like before, but I’ve had access to many platforms that showcase female talent which has been great. I haven’t experienced anything that made me feel like being a woman director was an impediment, on the contrary; so I guess I’m pretty lucky to be benefiting from battles that have been won so far.
I’ve genuinely never felt disempowered as a female artist. In the world of animation there are so many interesting female directors releasing incredible material, though maybe it’s a slice of the film industry that is particularly friendly.
How valuable is an online event like the Femme Filmmakers Festival for those trying to give short films more exposure?
It’s invaluable! An online platform has the potential for global exposure, reaching a completely international audience that may never have heard of a particular film before. The internet is an amazing gift to humanity and events like FemmeFilmFest is exactly what it was made for. I’m very lucky to be screening here.
What is next for you as far as filmmaking?
I’m currently working on another short animated film called Cry Baby which I’m really excited about. Again, it’s female based, exploring ideas of how the feminine principle is interlaced with sensuality, lunacy, neuroticism, eroticism and romance, but all pretty tongue in cheek. It has a Latin American flavour (my family is from Argentina and I lived there for years), inspired by the literary genre of Magical Realism. It should be coming out early springtime 2020.
