Blue Skies - A short documentary about William Utermohlen

Story:

William Utermohlen, an elderly painter who’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, tries to navigate through the everyday challenges, struggling with his newfound disease but not giving up on his art and relationships.

This short documentary focuses on the personal story of William Utermohlen, a painter who, over the years 1967–2000, worked on countless self-portraits. Unfortunately as William was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1995, he, his loved ones and his art suffered.

With the fighting spirit that William had he still decided to continue with his self-portraits giving researchers and us a visual glimpse at his Changing art and mind.

His last large scale Painting "Blue Skies", shows the

moment of him discovering his diagnosis: a devastated figure holding on to a table.

Directors:

Jan Paul Lodzinski

My name is JP, a director and cinematographer from Germany, who lives and studies in Dublin. My passion for photography started at a very early age and naturally evolved into cinematography and then into directing. My biggest inspirations are directors like Chloé Zhao and her critically acclaimed film Nomadland. I believe that in a world where grand finales are told and franchises are at its forefront, I am very interested in this slice-of-life approach to filmmaking. Trying to focus on everyday people’s stories. Because most of the time, the stories that we can resonate with most are the ones we experienced ourselves.

Laura Gallagher:

My name is Laura Gallagher. I’m an aspiring writer and director for both single- and multi-camera projects. I feel very drawn to William Utermohlen’s story. I greatly admire his artwork and his style, and how he managed to infuse so much character and memory into all of his paintings. As someone with family currently suffering from memory disorders, I was particularly moved by William’s determination to continue painting in spite of his illness. I think it’s a story of passion and resilience that a lot of people will connect to.

Why do we want to make this film?

"Blue Skies" is a great opportunity to create a unique time capsule for those who know William and his work, while also introducing his art to a broader audience. Through his story, we aim to raise awareness of his legacy as an artist and Alzheimer’s disease.

Visual Storytelling:

Alzheimer’s is challenging to portray visually, so we’ll use a mix of real-world locations and post-production effects to illustrate the progression of William’s condition. This includes:

Practical Sets & Digital Effects:

We intend to film in a real-world setting but use layered visual effects to create a more grounded yet surreal depiction of his condition.

Budget:

Your generosity will help us cover: