Interview with Pardeep Sahota Writer & Director of ‘OK/NOTOK’

OK/NOTOK, written and directed by Pardeep Sahota follows a working-class British Asian woman confined to her apartment during external turmoil when a mysterious stranger enters her life. Their relationship unfolds over two years through a unique single-shot format that never moves the camera. The film’s most striking feature is its static camera approach, with each scene break marked by an edit while maintaining the same fixed perspective. This creative limitation forces the story to be told through lighting changes, sound design, and performance rather than traditional cinematography. The lighting particularly serves as an emotional barometer, shifting through different moods and seasons to represent the passage of time and the evolving relationship dynamics. Beyond its technical achievements, OK/NOTOK explores contemporary anxieties about artificial intelligence, social isolation, and economic inequality and examines how working-class individuals might navigate a future dominated by subscription-based technology and cloud services, adding a socioeconomic layer often missing from AI narratives.

‘OK/NOTOK’ will screen as part of the 8th edition of Brighton Rocks on Friday the 20th as part of our F*CKED UP FUTURES programme.

 A genre bending love story set in the very near future with a darkly comic edge.