Milk

The cost of milk is priceless in this 2021 short film, written and directed by part-time farmer and Country Calendar veteran Celia Jaspers. It's set in a country town where a young girl (played by Jaspers’ daughter Charlotte) has to choose between spending pocket money on herself, or a bottle of milk for a cash-strapped pensioner. Made in the Wairarapa on the smell of coffee grinds during lockdown — when “be kind” was the mantra — Milk shuns cinema of unease darkness for upbeat, stripped-down storytelling. It scored a run more than 40 awards and nominations at festivals around the globe. 

...the film became a self-fulfilling kindness prophecy — with crew offering help from as far afield as Auckland and Christchurch. A Martinborough cafe provided its setting, and local businesses offered support. Filming took place in spring of 2020 with Jaspers’ daughter, Charlotte — then eight — taking the starring role.

– Writer Kelly Dennett on the making of Milk, The Sunday Star-Times, 27 June 2021

Key Cast & Crew

Charlotte Jaspers

As: Girl

Juanita Deely

Producer

Auriga Martin

Producer

Christy-Anne Sullivan

As: Café worker

Frank Edwards

As: Man

Celia Jaspers (née Offwood)

Director, Writer, Editor, Producer