We have partnered with infant food poverty charity Feed to make a short film that will make a difference. 

We were horrified by stories in the news of baby formula being security tagged, and locked behind tills, of the lengths families were being pushed to, in order to support their families, because of the cost of living crisis. The more we researched, the more we realised that this is just one part of a complex problem, and one which urgently needs to be resolved.

As filmmakers we recognise the power of storytelling to encourage connection and create positive change. Together with feed we will use MILK to increase people’s awareness and understanding of the often misunderstood difficulties of food poverty, and specifically infant food poverty. We hope that by sharing MILK with decision makers we will be able to change both misunderstandings and policy around baby formula.

With the support of Feed we know that this film can reach a wide audience and make an impact, and with your support we can raise the funds to make that happen.

***UPDATE*** In addition to the crowdfunder we have just received a £2000 grant to put to towards our production costs. 

MILK - THE FILM

MILK, a tender, wild and uplifting short film which explores infant food poverty through the journey of a young single mother’s mission to secure milk formula for her baby. 

Through the protagonist, Alisha’s journey we explore the nuances of a complex subject. We explore her desperation to be able to breastfeed, the casual judgements of those around her and the shame she feels, the inadequacy of support for families struggling through the cost of living crisis. 

The film ends with a moment of hope, a reminder that we can be each other’s miracles and kindness is always an option.

A MESSAGE FROM FEED

The biggest challenge we have faced is in getting the people in power to truly understand the reality of feeding a baby when you cannot afford to feed yourself; to understand the consequences for a baby when a Mum can’t get formula at the local food bank because policies made by those who don’t live her reality prevents them from providing it; to understand the sheer frustration at being unable to buy that much needed tin of formula because you only have £7 cash and £3 in loyalty point vouchers but the shop can’t take the voucher as payment because of the law; to understand the real pain of being unable to provide enough food for your baby, and to listen to their cries of hunger, knowing you are unable to soothe them.  

THE TEAM

We, director Naomi Waring and producer Fern Scott, were mysteriously brought together via Instagram when we discovered that we had passed within metres of each other on the same foggy mountain walk on the same day, at the same time, and taken the same photos. A couple of months later we met in person when we were both selected for a development workshop for filmmakers. Clearly we had always been on the same path … we have been collaborators ever since!

NAOMI WARING

Naomi is a London-based writer/director. She holds an MA degree from the London Film School and is a member of BAFTA. Naomi has a distinct voice. Her films are emotive and bold, with nuanced performances at the heart of her work. She uses a strong visual narrative to connect with her audience, highlighting hidden cultures and often marginalised communities. In 2019 Naomi was selected for Bela Tarr’s directing workshop, where she developed and shot the film Ascend, produced by Locarno Film Festival, and Ticino Film Commission. The film got screened at Locarno Film Festival as part of the anthology Under the God. She was also selected for the Encounters Widening the Lens and Go Shorts writing program. Naomi was commissioned by BBC NI and NI Screen to shoot a short film Ode, which was screened on BBC Arts, BBC Iplayer and various international film festivals, such as Aesthetica, Dublin film festival, Uppsala, and Underwire. She is currently shadowing director, Alex Winkler on the HETV series Mary and George. Naomi is a visiting lecturer at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and GSA teaching screen Acting on the BA acting course.

FERN SCOTT

Fern is a Bristol based producer/director, motivated by stories which explore the impact of shame especially where it intersects with stories about women and money. She wrote, produced, edited and hosted a Sundance supported storytelling podcast which explores the history of women and money. She has produced and directed over 60 creative documentary and fiction shorts, for clients and as part of her own practice. A number of these films have been viral successes and have been viewed millions of times worldwide. Her films have been exhibited internationally at the Palm Springs, Real to Reel Craft Film Festival, The Devon and Cornwall Film Festival, The Two Short Nights Film Festival, and selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick. In 2019 she was selected for Encounters Widening the Lens programme. She was a finalist in Netflix’s Britain’s Not Boring documentary competition and was shortlisted as a writer/director in the BBC Born Digital Short Film Competition. She is a member of BAFTA Connect, and is producing her first feature film.

HOW WE WILL USE THE FUNDS

The funds will be used to fund the cost of production - cast and crew, equipment, location, costumes and set design, and post production. We have gathered an exceptional cast and crew who are willing to work at reduced rates in order to support the project. If we exceed our target additional funds will be used to pay the dedicated production and post production crew at their proper day rates.

Thank you for supporting MILK! Please share our page everywhere you can, it will really help us to reach people who care.