Lunch with I’m OK

An interview with Elizabeth Hobbs, director of I’m OK

What interests you in Oskar Kokoschka’s works and life?
Oskar Kokoschka’s work is magnificent; his painting, his engravings, his plays, and his writings were a great inspiration for me but what fascinated me above all was the period when he was having a love affair with Alma Mahler (1912 – 1915). When this relationship ends, the First World War is raging, and Alma sends him to fight on the front lines. These dramatic episodes in Kokoschka’s life are fascinating, as is the possibility to experiment with the visual presentation of the story by exploring themes of his works and creating a dialogue between his work and mine.

Why did you choose to call your film “I’m OK”?
“OK” refers to Oskar Kokoschka’s initials. That’s how he signed his paintings: OK. In the film, Kokoschka is seriously wounded by a bullet to the head and by a bayonet in the chest while fighting on the Russian front. On the way to the hospital, he is tortured by the memories of the grief caused by the painful breakup of his love affair and by Alma’s abortion. The end of the film, using a photograph, shows that Kokoschka will be OK. He is sitting in his bed and we discover that he passed away at age 94 after having lived an exciting and fruitful life.

Can you tell us more about your style of animation?
To make this film, I used traditional animation. I worked directly on the animation stand using ink and paint on paper and captured the images while the paint was still wet. I like this procedure because it brings life to the drawing and allows you to maintain the moment when each shot was made. The sequences are inspired by paintings, engravings and other pieces by Kokoschka and the editing was done to a Gluck opera.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
The short film format is very liberating in the sense that it allows you to experiment with the structure and the form of the narrative. It gives you the possibility to try different options, to make mistakes without dramatic consequences for those who support and finance the project.

I’m OK is being shown in the International Competition I5