filmography

Desperate Optimists is a creative partnership between Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor. Established in 1992 we have produced work across a range of disciplines most prominently in film.

Current

Mister John

Ireland / UK, Feature Film - Co-production with Samson Films
Development support from the Irish Film Board and UK Film Council.
In Development

2010

Tiong Bahru

UK / Singapore, Short Film
Commissioned by the National Museum of Singapore in collaboration with the British Council. Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore and the Singapore International Foundation.

Selected:
40th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2011 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
IndieLisboa '11 8th International Independent Film Festival

2008

Helen

UK / Ireland, Feature Film
HELEN, Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's debut feature film, premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2008.

Commissioned by NewcastleGateshead Initiative via Culture10 its regional events and festivals programme, Birmingham City Council, Dublin Docklands Development Authority, and the Liverpool Culture Company. Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Tyneside Cinema and Irish Film Board.

Winner:
Grand Jury Prize, 11th Festival Cinessonne
Best Cinematography Award, 30th Durban International Film Festival
Grand Jury Prize, 2009 Premiers Plans, Angers European First Film Festival
Best Actress Prize, 2009 Premiers Plans, Angers European First Film Festival

Nominated:
Evening Standard First Film award 2009
Guardian First Film award 2009
International Feature Film Competition, Festival de Cine de Bogotá 2009
New Horizons International Competition, Era New Horizons International Film Festival 2009
Feature Film Competition, Durban International Film Festival 2009
International Feature Film Competition, Paris Cinema International Film Festival 2009
International Competition, IndieLisboa 2009
CPH:PIX New Talent Grand Pix 2009
New Blood Competition, Beaune International Thriller Film Festival 2009
Torino 26 Feature Films Competition, Torino Film Festival 2008
Sutherland Trophy, London Film Festival 2008
Cinema Extraordinaire Competition, Bergen International Film Festival 2008
XploreZone Award programme, Flanders International Film Festival Ghent 2008
FIPRESCI Competition for New Directors, Haifa Film Festival 2008
Golden Hitchcock Award, Dinard British Film Festival 2008
Michael Powell Award, Edinburgh International Film Festival 2008

Selected:
2009 Premiers Plans, Angers European First Film Festival
38th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2009 Dublin International Film Festival
2009 Flatpack Festival
33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival
11th Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival
1st Beaune International Thriller Film Festival
2009 Minneapolis and St Paul International Film Festival
2009 CHP:PIX, Copenhagen
22nd Singapore International Film Festival
7th Independent Film Festival Boston
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon
2009 East End Film Festival, London
12th Shanghai International Film Festival
7th Paris Cinema International Film Festival
30th Durban International Film Festival
5th Traverse City Film Festival
9th Era New Horizons International Film Festival, Wroclaw
2009 FilmFest Hamburg
11th Norrköpings Filmfestival Flimmer
7th Morelia International Film Festival
26th Festival de Cine de Bogotá
11th Festival Cinessonne
2009 Viennale, Vienna
18th St Louis International Film Festival
15th Kolkata Film Festival
2009 Capital IrishFilm Festival
2010 Mostly British Film Festival
2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival
2008 Sydney Film Festival
35th Telluride Film Festival
2008 Vancouver International Film Festival
19th Dinard Film Festival
2008 Pusan International Film Festival
2008 Flanders International Film Festival Ghent
53rd Cork Film Festival
24th Haifa International Film Festival
9th Bergen Film Festival
52nd London Film Festival
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
26th Torino Film Festival
2008 Mujeres en Dirección
2008 CINECITY The Brighton Film Festival
2008 Northern Lights Film Festival
2008 Nantes British Film Festival

Distributed:
New Wave Films (UK/IRL)
KMBO (France)
Front Row Entertainment (Middle East)
Irfan Films (Turkey)
Vanguard Cinema (US)

Joy

UK, Short Film
Commissioned by Birmingham City Council with support from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Winner:
Prix UIP - 37th International Film Festival Rotterdam
Best Short Live Action - 2008 Darklight Festival

Selected:
21st Minimalen Short Film Festival
39th Tampere Film Festival
2009 Flatpack Festival, Birmingham
13th Sofia International Film Festival
31st Festival International de Films de Femmes de Créteil
56th Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival
10th Festival del Cinema Europeo, Lecce
12th Brussels Short Film Festival
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival
2009 East End Film Festival
6th Vienna Independent Shorts
49th Krakow Film Festival
27th Jerusalem Film Festival
25th Festroia International Film Festival
37th International Film Festival Rotterdam
5th IndieLisboa
2008 Sydney Film Festival
2008 Darklight Festival
16th Artfilm International Film Festival
14th Sarajevo Film Festival
19th Sáo Paulo International Short Film Festival
35th Telluride Film Festival
2008 Flanders International Film Festival Ghent
53rd Cork Film Festival
24th Interfilm ISFF Berlin
2008 Sleepwalkers ISFF Tallinn
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
4th One Take Film Festival
46th Gijon International Film Festival
4th Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon

2006

Daydream

UK, Short Film
Commissioned by the Liverpool Culture Company in partnership with Liverpool Biennial. Funded by the Liverpool Culture Company, as part of the Creative Communities Programme, supported with lottery money from the Millennium Commission and Arts Council England through the Urban Cultural Programme.

Nominated:
Tiger Award for Short Film, 36th International Film Festival Rotterdam

Selected:
15th Curtas Vila do Conde
2007 Darklight Festival
1st NexT International Short and Medium Lenght Film Festival
2007 East End Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam

2005

Now We Are Grown Up

UK, Short Film
A Bigger Picture commission to celebrate the Cornerhouse's 20th Birthday generously supported by Arts Council England National Touring Programme.

Selected:
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
53rd Cork Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2nd Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
33rd Telluride Film Festival
18th Galway Film Fleadh
10th Lovebytes
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon

Leisure Centre

Ireland / UK, Short Film
Commissioned by Breaking Ground, the Ballymun Regeneration Ltd per cent for art commissioning programme with additional funding from Film London, British Council and Project Arts Centre.

Selected:
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
53rd Cork Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2nd Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
33rd Telluride Film Festival
18th Galway Film Fleadh
10th Lovebytes
Moot IV, Kilkenny, Ireland
2006 Short Film Summer School, London
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon

Town Hall

UK, Short Film
Funded by the Greets Green Partnership New Deal for Communities, The Public and Arts Council England.

Selected:
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
53rd Cork Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2nd Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
33rd Telluride Film Festival
18th Galway Film Fleadh
10th Lovebytes
2006 Short Film Summer School, London
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon

Twilight

UK, Short Film
Commissioned especially for the Navigate Festival.

Selected:
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
53rd Cork Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2nd Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
33rd Telluride Film Festival
18th Galway Film Fleadh
10th Lovebytes
2005 Radiator Festival, Nottingham
2006 Short Film Summer School, London
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon

2004

Revolution

UK, Short Film
Supported by the Hayward Gallery and Arts Council England.

Selected:
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
53rd Cork Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2nd Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
33rd Telluride Film Festival
18th Galway Film Fleadh
10th Lovebytes
2006 Short Film Summer School, London
2005 Radiator Festival, Nottingham
2004 Darklight Festival
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon

Moore Street

Ireland, Short Film
MOORE STREET has been co-produced by desperate optimists, The Cultural Relations Committee at the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism/ An Roinn Ealaíon, Spoirt agus Turasoireachta and the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Project Arts Centre in partnership with British Council.

Selected:
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
53rd Cork Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2nd Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
33rd Telluride Film Festival
18th Galway Film Fleadh
10th Lovebytes
2004 Rio Film Festival
35th Festival Interceltique de Lorient, Brittany
2005 Radiator Festival, Nottingham
2006 Short Film Summer School, London
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon

Who Killed Brown Owl

UK, Short Film
Commissioned by the London Borough of Enfield with a grant from Arts Council England.

Winner:
Best British Short Film Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2004

Nominated:
13th Kodak/BAFTA Short Film Awards

Selected:
58th Edinburgh International Film Festival
49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
53rd Cork Film Festival
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
2nd Berwick-upon-Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival
33rd Telluride Film Festival
18th Galway Film Fleadh
10th Lovebytes
2004 Darklight Festival
2nd Halloween Short Film Festival
34th International Film Festival Rotterdam
5th Emirates Film Competition, Abu Dhabi
6th Britspotting, Berlin
45th Krakow film festival
6th Maremetraggio International Short Film Festival, Trieste
32nd Telluride Film Festival
4th International Best of Short Film Festivals
32nd Flanders International Film Festival
11th Festival of European Films, Festival on Wheels, Turkey
2005 Radiator Festival, Nottingham
2006 East End Film Festival
2006 Urban Explorers Festival in Dordrecht
2006 Short Film Summer School, London
6th !f Istanbul Festival
4th Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, Lisbon
28th Cambridge Film Festival