Melk

64th TIFF: Greek Premiere

What does mother’s milk taste like? What is the life span of sorrow? What is the expiration date of loss? Robin’s baby is stillborn, but her breasts produce milk. Unable to discard it, she will seek ways to donate it, but when this proves to be more difficult than expected, bottles of milk will begin to pile up in her freezer, complicating her life and her relationships. In her balanced yet strikingly powerful debut, Stefanie Kolk constructs an understated drama of escalating intensity in a minimalist fashion, exploring the intricate nuances of motherhood, the darker abysses of grief, and the unseen faces of solidarity between women. With a distinctive, suggestive cinematic language and touching on subjects we often struggle to talk about, Melk is a promising debut from a filmmaker you can’t help but notice.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Available at the Agora Market TIFF64.

Direction: Stefanie Kolk

Script: Stefanie Kolk, Nena van Driel

Cinematography: Emo Weemhoff

Editing: Maarten Ernest

Sound: Koos van der Vaart, Jacob Oostra

Actors: Frieda Barnhard, Aleksej Ovsiannikov

Producers: Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit

Co-producers: Marina Blok

Costumes: Sara Hakkenberg

Production Design: Nadide Argun

Make Up: Floor Fennis, Renee Wijnhoven

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: The Netherlands

Production Year: 2023

Duration: 96'

Contact: Lemming Film

Stefanie Kolk

Stefanie grew up in Nijmegen, Netherlands. She studied biophysics and lived in Japan for two years before entering the Netherlands Film Academy. Her graduation short Clan and shorts Harbour and latest work Eyes on the Road premiered at Locarno International Film Festival’s Pardi di Domani International Competition in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Stefanie’s films have been shown at festivals around the world, in Dutch cinemas, and on Dutch national television. She was a participant at Berlinale Talents 2019 and a Talent en Route at the Netherlands Film Festival 2019. Her first feature film Melk was selected for Berlinale Script Station 2021.