To mark the 21st anniversary of the IFTA awards, we are showcasing Irish talent who are blazing a trail across our industry, working in front of and behind the camera.
Hosted in association with IFTA, this Q&A Series connects with Irish talent who represent a range of disciplines across our industry.
We find out about their approach to craft, working on the projects they’ve been nominated for, and the best piece of advice they’ve been given in their career.
Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor are nominated for Best Director - Drama for Kin. Molloy and Lawlor have been directing films together for nearly two decades, with their creative partnership The Desperate Optimists (also the name of their production company) beginning in theatre in 1992. During this time they have co-directed six features. Their latest feature film Baltimore, starring Imogen Poots and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, is currently screening in Irish cinemas.
IFTN: How did this project, and your involvement as directors, first come about?
“As is often the case, we got a call out of the blue. Actually it might have been an email. The first contact was just to see if we were free to have a call. The people behind KIN told us that showrunner Peter McKenna had seen our films and in particular Rose Plays Julie and felt we would be a great fit for KIN season two. Would we be interested in having a conversation?”
“At that point we hadn’t seen KIN as it was unavailable in the UK (which it most certainly is now!). We liked season one and felt we could bring something to season two. Peter was looking specifically for filmmakers who might do something a bit different and I guess our conversations with Peter and BRON Studios went well and that was that. We loved the scripts for the season and we were totally on board.”
IFTN: Tell me about your experience on set. What was your favourite moment during production?
“Since 2003 we have directed many shorts and quite a few feature films prior to this and so we were quite experienced being on film sets. But until KIN we had never directed for TV. We heard from friends that the pace is very different, much faster etc. In the end we felt that the pace was something we were very used to on low budget feature films, so in many ways we were in our comfort zone on that front.”
“But it's true to say when you do a block in the middle of a season of TV it’s very much like jumping onto a moving train. The first few days were tough. Some cuts and bruises. But we have to say the cast and crew were really great. I guess our highlight (as is often the case) is working with the cast and trying out different performances in scenes. One of our favourite moments was on day three when we had all seven of the main actors in a six page dialogue scene. It's the kind of thing that might keep you awake at night but it was a total pleasure to work with these generous actors on that scene. That said, it must have been exhausting for Francis Magee to go at that level of intensity over and over and over again.”
IFTN: How do you approach working with actors, and what advice would you give to aspiring directors on this front?
“We see our number one job as working with the actors to get the very best performances with them in the time you have. Possibly to the anxiety of our crew, we spend as much time as we can talking with actors. Involving them in the decision-making process. To do that, it's really important to build some sort of relationship with the actor. We love getting their insights into the role and into the scene they are about to play. We try to build on that. If you find yourself really enjoying working with actors and truly collaborating with them to build strong performances, that is the most important thing.”
IFTN: What was your first role as a director (feature/short etc.), and how has your style changed over the years?
“Our first short film was in 2004.The film was called Who Killed Brown Owl. It went on to win a prestigious award in the UK. It was shot on 35mm cinemascope and all done in one take. Completely crazy thing to do but somehow it worked. Since then we have evolved to doing more than one shot in a scene! We joke of course but we like to keep coverage as low as possible so that we can spend more time on performances. It’s hard to know exactly how our style has changed but since that first short what remains is our love of strong elegant images but I think we have evolved to become much more psychological in terms of our storytelling.”
IFTN: What filmmaker or director’s work has influenced or inspired you the most?
“Chantel Ackerman, David Lynch, Claire Denis, Michelangelo Antonioni, Michael Haneke, Stanley Kubrick. We really could go on but that’s a pretty good start.”
IFTN: What other Irish filmmakers have you been most impressed by recently?
“Not so recent but we simply have to mention Pat Murphy. We love love Meave. But we’re also keen to see whatever Pat Collins does.”
IFTN: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?
“Notice what you notice.”
