Kultur - Issue 3

Playing fly on the wall behind the scenes with
BlackMilk Productions is almost like being married
to the Mob, writes Nerine Dorman
t sometimes blows my mind when I have the
chance to sit back and reflect on all that has
happened which has resulted in a slew of
short films, starting in 2008, with KiTTY KiLL,
Emma-O, 23 Rue d’Amour, Regression, The Lovers,
Jornada Del Muerto, Onrusbarend and Anna. This is
excluding some of the advertisements they’ve made,
which are worth hunting down on YouTube. Most of these
films have won awards, including the SA HorrorFest,
shnit Realtime and Auteur Film Festival. In the short
three years that the core group of BlackMilkers have
been active, they’ve certainly been busy.
The question I hear most often is “How the hell do you
guys do it?”
I usually reply by saying they have to do it. Most people
involved in the BlackMilk films are in the media industry,
one way or another, but usually in more commercial
aspects where freedom of expression can be limited.
They’re all immensely talented and their collaboration
using film as a medium is how they flex their creative
muscles. A BlackMilk film provides the blank canvas for
Ronnie Belcher, Thomas Dorman, Leon Visser and Este
Kira to collaborate on their dark, twisted and somewhat
surreal visions.
Leon says, “My day job consists of everything that I
have a passion for, filmmaking, photography, editing
and design. I am able to explore quite a bit of my ability
there, but with BlackMilk it’s different.
“It’s a relationship—one I have fallen in love with a
very long time ago. Every time we, as BlackMilk,
create something, there is a sense of accomplishment
I’ve never experienced with any other collaborators.
“It’s a bond that really, I think, could never be broken.
Our persistence is our success as a creative group.
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KULTÜR
NOVEMBER 2011