Rachel Fitzgerald makes an ode to childhood curiosity and innocence in her beautiful animations

The brand new film of Irish animator and filmmaker Rachel Fitzgerald first caught our eye for its slew of impressive animated illustrations that delve deep in to the dizzying human psyche. Specialising in 2D frame-by-frame animation, Rachel “primarily works digitally but loves an opportunity to work with tactile materials like ink and paint on paper”, such as in her latest work. There is something impressively artisanal about her work, and it’s most likely that artisanal quality that landed her graduate film Bubbles international recognition and the prize for Best Emerging Irish Female Director at IndieCork Film Festival.

“I stumbled upon the medium of animation when deciding between studying fine art or film in college,” she explains. “Animation seemed like the perfect in-between, placed perfectly at the intersection of both.” Now, Rachel’s main influences come from independent arthouse filmmakers and fine art painters, hoping to infuse this same level of hands-on creativity in to her own work. After moving to London, Rachel studied at the Royal College of Art wherein she produced Cost of Curiosity, and her yet-to-be-released Nightpay. “My work situates itself in a space where comedy and pain live together,” she says. Currently, Rachel teaches at the National Film School as an Associate Lecturer and continues to work on her films and freelance projects.