And it’s done! Soon after completing Regression in September this year, we finalised the script of our latest movie, the Lovers.

We began filming on September 19 to finish final edits on October 4. Three locations in Cape Town were selected: an apartment in Gardens, an industrial area in Salt River and the sea front in Mouille Point. Even though the film took about a month to complete from final concept to screen, due to it being worked on over weekends and after hours, The Lovers was completed in about 56 hours. That is a total of seven working days, a first for us. We wanted to work on a “quick” project in time for the Shortcut 6 festival … And we made it in time!

Once again, Ronnie and myself directed it together. The film features Annie Brookstone and Aidan Whytock in the roles of the woman and the man; Ronnie provided narration as well as sound design. And I got a cameo appearance as the ice cream man. Filming was wrapped in three days, with Leon Visser providing his services as cinematographer, editor and colourist; and Este Kira doing her bit to weave magic with the set design on a limited budget, acting in her usual role as Art Director and Production Designer.

The short film also features a poem by poet and publisher Gary Cummiskey and evokes an overall Surrealist feel echoing René Magritte’s painting, The Lovers, from which the film also derives its name. Typical BlackMilk themes evident in The Lovers are the relationship between a man and a woman coupled with stark, almost dystopian built environments and static, framed shots.