Meet our Alumni: Pippa Molony, a multidisciplinary artist from Dublin (Class of 2017 & 2019).
From her first DSLR shoot at sixteen to directing projects for Screen Ireland and Nowness, Pippa’s journey highlights the power of resourcefulness and truthful storytelling.
We caught up with Pippa to discuss her transition from Fresh Film winner to a professional writer, director, and musician. Here is her story, in her own words.
WHO YOU ARE
Hey! I’m Pippa Molony and I’m from Dublin. I placed third for At Sea in 2017, and won Highly Commended for Story in 2019 for my short, Hero, which was developed as part of Fresh Film Festival’s ‘Hothouse’ initiative. You can find my work on Instagram (@pippala), YouTube, RTÉ Culture and Nowness.
I am a multidisciplinary artist working as a writer, filmmaker, photographer and musician. I have created music videos for artists including Aby Coulibaly, Ahmed, With Love., and EFÉ, as well as for my own music projects (Pippa Molony, Barnburner). As an artist, I am interested in making work that challenges audiences and explores themes of identity, female interiority and perspective, and transgression.
HOW IT STARTED
I discovered Fresh when I was 16, through a school open-day screening event at the IFI. I attended with my art class, and I didn’t expect to be so inspired that I came home that evening, sat for hours, and immediately wrote the first draft of At Sea.
I borrowed a DSLR from my mum, a tripod from my school, and edited the film using iMovie on my mum’s laptop. My friend Cian O’Meara, who I’d played music with as a child, acted as boom operator and co-produced the film with me, helping at every stage and composing an original score. All of the actors were either friends of mine or people I’d met through Dublin Youth Theatre. At Sea follows a sixteen-year-old girl, Maggie, exploring themes of consent, teenage bullying, social media, and underage drinking.
THE FRESH FILM MOMENT
Attending the festival in 2017 and placing third was an incredible day. The cast and crew all travelled down to Limerick for the screening. It’s a deeply treasured memory, not so much because we won an award, but because the day itself was such great craic. Seeing our film on a big screen, in a packed cinema, and feeling the thrill of sharing something we’d made with an audience of strangers meant a lot to all of us.
Fresh gave me so much: a space to experiment, a reason to keep making films, and confidence in my abilities as both a writer and director. If it wasn’t for Fresh, I simply do not know if I would be a filmmaker today.
WHERE YOU ARE NOW
I am still making films! I went on to study at the National Film School, IADT, alongside many people I had met through Fresh. Since then, I’ve directed and produced a number of music videos, and last year I had the opportunity to direct a short film funded by Screen Ireland and Bow Street Academy. While I’m not currently working full-time in film, I’ve been experimenting with making music, which has expanded my creative practice.
I am particularly excited about my short film, Bump, which I am in the process of finishing this month. It is my first funded short, and there is a lot of heart in it. It deals with transgressive subject matter similar to my first short shown at Fresh.
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
A film is never truly finished or perfect, but it can be ready. Even if it’s not what you initially imagined, it deserves to be seen. If you are looking for an excuse to pull up the socks and try something you have always wanted to do, please apply to Fresh. Do something that scares you. The result might not be what you expected, but the process will absolutely be worth it.
Showing work early is essential to understanding whether a film is landing in the way you hoped. An objective audience can reveal things you’re too close to see. Don’t let something you’ve worked so hard on sit on your desktop or phone, unseen. Finishing the project and sharing it is fundamental to creating art!
If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be: Make your life easy. Do something you can do well with the means you have. Be truthful. Listen to your gut, play, and explore ideas. Finally, make something with your friends—because filmmaking is hard enough already!
QUICK FIRE
Inspirations: Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Michael Haneke, Charlotte Wells, PTA, Ari Aster, the Safdies, and Joanna Hogg!
Your next big challenge: Writing and funding my next short film! Always a challenge
