Helen Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helen Hill
|
|
|---|---|
Hill in New Orleans in 2006
|
|
| Born |
Helen Wingard Hill
May 9, 1970 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
|
| Died | January 4, 2007 (aged 36) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
|
| Occupation | Film director, animator, songwriter |
| Spouse(s) |
Paul Gailiunas
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 1 |
Helen Wingard Hill (born May 9, 1970 – died January 4, 2007) was a talented American artist, filmmaker, writer, and teacher. She was also a social activist, working to make the world a better place.
After her final film, The Florestine Collection, was released in 2011, many people praised her work. Experts called her "one of the most well-regarded experimental animators of her generation."
Helen's death at age 36 received a lot of media attention. She passed away in her New Orleans home in 2007. Her death, along with another local musician's death, caused a lot of anger in the city. Thousands of people marched to protest the violence happening after Hurricane Katrina. This march gained attention across the United States and beyond.
However, in the years since, Helen Hill's life and creative work have been celebrated. Her films are now seen by more people than ever before. In 2012, she was recognized as one of "Five Women Animators Who Shook Up the Industry."
Contents
Helen Hill's Early Life and Education
Helen Hill grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. She lived there until she finished Dreher High School in 1988. She felt a strong connection to the Southern United States. Later, she became a citizen of both the U.S. and Canada after marrying Paul Gailiunas, who was from Canada.
Helen started making short animated films when she was just 11 years old. After a filmmaker visited her fifth-grade class, she made a stop-motion film called The House of Sweet Magic (1981). It showed a toy dinosaur attacking a gingerbread house. That same year, she and her classmates made another film called Quacks.
Helen went to Harvard University and graduated in 1992. She studied English and also filmmaking. While at Harvard, she made an animated short film called Rain Dance (1990) and two other animated movies.
After college, Helen and her friend Paul Gailiunas moved to New Orleans for the summer. They loved the city's lively arts and music scene. That summer, they fell in love and got married two years later.
Helen continued to develop her art at California Institute of the Arts. After graduating in 1995, she moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. There, she taught film animation at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She also created films, including Bohemian Town (2004), which honored her neighborhood.
In 2000, Helen and Paul returned to New Orleans. They settled in the Mid-City area with their cat and pet pig. On October 15, 2004, their son, Francis Pop, was born. Helen kept teaching animation and helped start the New Orleans Film Collective.
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused their home to flood. Helen and her family had to move to Columbia, South Carolina, for a year. Helen convinced her husband to move back to New Orleans in 2006. She continued making films and working to rebuild the city. She was teaching art at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts when she passed away.
The Passing of Helen Hill
Helen Hill passed away on January 4, 2007, in her home in New Orleans. Her husband was injured but survived, and their young son was safe. This event was part of a series of difficult incidents in New Orleans at the time.
Helen's passing, along with other events, led to strong public feelings. On January 11, 2007, thousands of people marched to City Hall. This march was called the March for Survival. Friends of Helen and other organizers formed a group called Silence Is Violence. This group still works for peace in New Orleans today.
Helen Hill's Films and Art
Helen Hill was inspired by early animation artists. She used many different techniques in her films. These included stop motion, three-dimensional puppets, and drawing directly on film. She also liked to use do-it-yourself methods, like processing and coloring film by hand. These special techniques can be seen in her films like Mouseholes (1999) and Madame Winger Makes a Film (2001).
Besides making films, Helen also curated film programs. She wrote a book called Recipes for Disaster: A Handcrafted Film Cookbooklet, which shared her unique film techniques. After Hurricane Katrina, Helen became interested in saving old films. She gave talks about how to preserve and restore old movies.
Helen's films won awards and were shown at important festivals. In 2004, she received a special grant to start making The Florestine Collection. This animated film was inspired by old dresses she found in New Orleans. Her husband and friends finished the film after her passing. It won an award at the 2011 DOXA Documentary Film Festival. In 2008, Helen was given a special award for her animation work.
The Harvard Film Archive created the Helen Hill Collection in 2007. It holds her films, drawings, photos, writings, and music. Ten of her animated films are available for others to see and show.
In 2008, New York University held an event to honor Helen. They showed her preserved work. The Helen Hill Awards were also created to recognize filmmakers who share Helen's artistic spirit.
On December 30, 2009, Helen's film Scratch and Crow (1995) was added to the National Film Registry. This is a list of important American movies. The Library of Congress said her student film was "filled with vivid color and a light sense of humor." They also called it "a poetic and spiritual homage to animals and the human soul."
Helen Hill's Filmography
Here are some of the films Helen Hill made:
- The House of Sweet Magic (1981)
- Quacks (1981, with classmates)
- Rain Dance (1990)
- Upperground Show (1991)
- Vessel (1992)
- No Smoking in the Theater (1995)
- The World's Smallest Fair (1995)
- Scratch and Crow (1995)
- Tunnel of Love (1996)
- "Fast Fax" for CBC-TV's StreetCents (1997–1998)
- I Love Nola (1998)
- Your New Pig is Down the Road (1999)
- Mouseholes (1999)
- Film for Rosie (2000)
- Madame Winger Makes a Film (2001)
- Five Spells (2001)
- Termite Light (2003, with Courtney Egan)
- Rosie Wonders What to Wear (2003)
- Gothtober Baby (2004)
- Bohemian Town (2004)
- Halloween in New Orleans (2005)
- Cleveland Street Gap (2006, with Courtney Egan)
- A Monster in New Orleans (2006)
Helen also made over 40 Super 8 home movies.
A collection of her films, The House of Sweet Magic: Films By Helen Hill, was released on DVD in 2008. It includes: Tunnel of Love; Madame Winger Makes a Film; Scratch and Crow; Your New Pig Is Down the Road; The World's Smallest Fair; Vessel; Film for Rosie; Mouseholes; and Bohemian Town.
The Florestine Collection (2011) was a film by Helen, completed by her husband and friends. It won awards at the Ann Arbor Film Festival and DOXA Documentary Film Festival.
Helen also appeared in several films and TV reports, including:
- "Mermaids and Pickles" (1999)
- Film Farm Dance (2001)
- Phil's Film Farm (2002)
- Rox #90, "Fat" (2004)
- Working Portraits (2005)
- Orphan Ist. (2006)
- Helen Hill: Celebrating a Life in Film (2007, SCETV)
- "One Year Later, New Orleans Grieves for Artists," a report by Noah Adams (2007)
- "Storm of Murder," CBS 48 Hours Mystery (2007)
Helen Hill's Activism and Songwriting
Helen Hill was a lifelong peace activist. She supported many grassroots causes for social justice. With her husband, Dr. Paul Gailiunas, she helped start the Free Food Organization in Halifax in 1995. This group later became part of Food Not Bombs, which still helps people today. She also worked against smoking and tobacco advertising. Helen was a vegan and an animal rights activist. She helped rescue animals like pot-bellied pigs.
While living in Halifax, Paul Gailiunas formed a band called Piggy: The Calypso Orchestra of the Maritimes. Helen helped write the song "Emma Goldman" for their 1999 album. After moving to New Orleans, Paul started a new band called The Troublemakers. They re-released "Emma Goldman" on their 2004 album. The band's motto was "It's your duty as a citizen to troublemake."
The song "Emma Goldman" was played at Helen's jazz funeral in New Orleans.
See also
- List of unsolved murders (21st century)
