Nicole Lipp has an incredibly diverse taste, to put it mildly. The stories that energize her are “Good stories! Exciting stories! Entertaining, moving, shocking, damn good stories of all kinds,” she gushes. “I’m honestly not picky… My friends make fun of me – they say I just love moving pictures. Because I really love TV and movies SO MUCH. I know how hard it is to make something, to tell a good story. So I appreciate everything I watch (and I watch a LOT). One particular genre has her heart. “I’m especially obsessed with YA. My dream would be to direct really good YA TV/movies! Like Heartstopper or Never Have I Ever. But at this point in my career, I write what comes to me and direct anything that I connect to. And other than my most recent short film, Mistakes You Make Before You Die, that hasn’t really been YA.” If you think you have her style figured out, you’re absolutely wrong. “I’m currently in development on my horror series called Eternal Flame. It’s about a psychopathic billionaire who kidnaps a group of women and forces them to play a deadly version of a reality TV dating show. It’s a fucked up but feminist The Bachelor meets Squid Game situation.”
Even the stomach churning doesn’t faze her. “I’m also in pre-production on my next short film, The Toe. It’s a disgusting body horror about a guy with a really bad ingrown toenail, but his wife’s grandma is dying. It’s actually inspired by my husband’s experience while my grandma was dying. It’s a sort of absurd metaphor for grief and the way we emotionally support our partners. I’m currently selling feet pics online so I can fund the film.” She’s keen to experience it all. “I just want to make SO MANY FILMS! I hope I’m directing until the day I die. And each project will be wildly different from its predecessor. I can’t choose just one ‘type.’ Wow…I am such a bisexual libra.”
Of course, Nicole didn’t stop at creation – she helped launch a coalition. “Not Your Daddy’s Films (NYDF) is a social impact organization committed to educating and empowering women and nonbinary filmmakers. I’m so grateful to be one of the co-founders and part of the beautiful community we’ve built together. It all began about two years ago… I was ready to share my first short film, MESSY, with friends and family and I really wanted to screen it somewhere in LA. So I hosted a screening where we also showed a few other short films directed by women. It was SO much fun and I knew I wanted to continue throwing screenings to showcase women and nonbinary filmmakers… Turns out at the same time, Katherine Hughes (who was an acquaintance at the time) reached out to me because she and a few friends hosted a similar screening event to showcase their films. Katherine and I grabbed coffee and gabbed about film and the industry and being a woman who wants to be a director (what, like it’s hard?) and we went from acquaintances to friends. She introduced me to the gals she had thrown her screening with, Carlye Tamaren and Vika Stubblebine, and it was an instant connection. The four of us came together to throw a short film and music video screening together and Not Your Daddy’s Films was born! Soon after that, we met our fifth co-founder, Kourtney Bell, and it was like our final puzzle piece was in place.” Everyone can flourish with the proper support! “Over the past two years, these women have become my best friends and my greatest cheerleaders. What started as 50ish people watching some dope shorts in a bar, grew up to become the social impact organization we are running today. Now, our screenings bring in an audience of 350+ and our community stretches far beyond LA. We’re working hard to expand the educational wing of NYDF – we host regular panels and we’re producing a podcast! I’ve learned SO much from the NYDF community and my co-founders. Being a Daddy has changed my life. And we’ve only just begun!”
As a queer filmmaker, Nicole aspires for broader representation. “I think every relationship (queer or not) has its own nuances…I just want to see MORE queer folks in mainstream media. Especially as main characters! Because we’re more than just the comedic B-story or the edgy love interest. And yes, these characters and relationships should be nuanced. But all good characters/relationships are nuanced (queer or not). I like to think that if we had more widely and universally relatable movies/shows featuring queer people, maybe we could soften some hearts and help folks everywhere realize we’re all just humans who deserve love and equal rights. Maybe I’m being naive, but I’m just trying to keep hope alive, I guess!” Her most recent project was a labor of love amongst colleagues. “Mistakes You Make Before You Die is a short proof of concept for a full-length feature. Making this film was such a special experience…I literally dreamed the idea…I watched the whole movie in my sleep. It’s so wild putting a dream on the screen! Especially since I got to do this with some of my favorite creative collaborators and friends. And Jetta Juriansz (my dear friend, writing partner, and lead in the film) played the role of Dora in my dream. Writing the film with her and then getting to direct her was unbelievable. Jetta is such a brilliant, hilarious, beautiful powerhouse. One of the most talented actors and writers in the whole wide world. I still pinch myself every time I get to work with her! Terry Hu brought the most delicious humanity to their character, Lennon. Terry is just such a naturally gifted and stunning actor, so honest and subtle – such a freaking star. And our cinematographer Kelsey Talton is just SO talented. I mean, Kelsey took this simple film that is largely just a couple talking and she made it beautiful and cinematic. I could write a novel with lengthy chapters about why I love and cherish each of these people (and the rest of the cast and crew) but this is probably enough fangirling over my friends for one interview!”
Mortality may be our common enemy, but we each approach it with different philosophies. Some are more unusual than others. “In the short, Lennon (they/them) is dying from terminal cancer so their girlfriend, Dora (she/her), convinces them to create a bucket list. But Lennon puts some wild shit on that list. The film follows Lennon and Dora as they attempt to complete the weirdest bucket list ever, beginning with item #1: participate in an orgy. The short proof of concept is actually quite sweet! But the feature is going to be wacky. Dora and Lennon are gonna do some unhinged shit… meth, violence, fraud, and so much more. I like to think of it as a dark comedy tearjerker. Kinda like The Fault In Our Stars meets Bottoms. I hope anyone who watches the short film will laugh a lot and cry a little and be left wanting more from Dora and Lennon and their bizarre bucket list.”
Watching the film premiere at the Out On Film Festival cultivates a sense of belonging for Nicole that isn’t always present. “Seeing what you dreamed up on a screen (a BIG screen!) is a deeply satisfying and affirming experience. But this feels bigger than that because Out On Film is a queer film festival. I’m married to my favorite person in the world, my husband Michael, so people tend to assume I’m straight. Given that I’m in a long term ~heteronormative~ relationship, I tend to feel uncomfortable taking up space in queer communities because bi-rasure is real. But yeah, I do identify as queer. And the struggle I’ve had (and hid) as I’ve explored my identity is part of why representation on screen is so important to me, and part of why festivals like Out On Film are so important to me.”
It’s a full circle moment for her past self. “Growing up in the 90s, there were far fewer shows/movies featuring characters outside of a really narrowly defined archetype. I felt like I could sometimes see myself in an ‘outcast’ character but even then, those characters were most often marked with an ‘otherness’ that meant they weren’t accepted. And so this idea of inclusion always felt like way more than a buzz word to me. I LOVE the current generation of YA. The representation we’re seeing in shows like Heartbreak High, Sex Education, Love Victor, etc. is so inspiring. These shows heal my inner child in a magical way. I was a confused and depressed teenager who buried and hated any piece of myself that I didn’t perceive as ‘normal.’”
Such visibility has compelled her to reflect.”I think if I had these shows and these characters to look up to and learn from when I was a teen, my mental health journey might have looked a bit different. I feel the same way about seeing bigger bodies on screen, seeing people of color on screen, people with disabilities on screen…seeing TRUE diversity in films and TV can change culture and therefore change and maybe save lives. I know it would have helped me a lot in my most formative years.”
Seeking laughter in perpetuity can help us cope. “My toxic trait is laughing at inappropriate times… that’s probably why I am so drawn to dark comedies. That’s also probably why everything I make (no matter the genre) has comedic moments. Even the music videos and branded work I’ve directed have comedic elements to them. I have found humor in all the hardest moments I’ve experienced – finding humor in surprising places feels so deeply human to me. Life is weird and surprising and hard and hilarious…how exciting that we get to experience all of that, right?!” For our embattled couple, eternity suddenly exists in the blink of an eye. “Lennon and Dora suddenly have to redefine the word ‘forever.’ They’re young – they had their whole lives ahead of them! Now, they only have a few months. That is terrifying and devastating… and it’s also affirming. I think the threat of Lennon’s diagnosis confirms to them both that they are soulmates – that they are most definitely utterly and deeply in love. But a ticking clock adds pressure. Too much pressure can cause an explosion…OR a diamond. Right? Scientifically? I don’t know. I’m not a scientist but you get my point. It’s up to them to forge a diamond out of the crazy high pressure adventure of Lennon’s final months.” We have no doubt that the pair will keep on shining.
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Filmmaker Nicole Lipp Talks Representation and Dark Humor. Photo Credit (in order): Melanie Rains and Marti Hoyos.
