There is something to be said about the vividness of images that often embrace the walls of the human mind, but never allowed a spectator other than their own creator. However, when cinema, animation and visual space allow them a representation to be put forth for an audience, it perhaps becomes the most notable aspect of their journey. Milkoffee achieves and executes something similar, and presents the viewer with an expertly crafted animated short film. 


Conceived as an adaptation of Max Aub’s Crìmenes Ejemplares short stories, the film follows an encounter between two strangers at a diner in the middle of nowhere. The scene is set for something unusual, potentially unpleasant, right from the start, as the skilled visuals begin to roll in one after the other. They never lose their pace or beauty, and eventually lead the narrative to offer a shocking culmination of events. 

The story includes violence, eccentricities and the fragility of human life. It also includes a man's fixation with a stranger and his cup of coffee, and the disastrous consequences of it all. Amidst the colours, voiceover and the plot, it is undoubtedly the experimentation with the images, animation and the manner in which all of it is bound together that becomes the strongest, most notable aspect of the film.

Milkoffee | Short Film of the Day

The documentary film is an insightful and poignant account of the efforts of 1951 Coffee Company, a non-profit founded by Doug Hewitt in 2015, working towards the resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers in USA.
 The meticulous narrative takes us into the life of primarily three subjects, Meg Karki, Batool Rawoas, and Liebe Mehretab. It is through these voices that an impactful account is conjured, drawing attention to the very compelling and urgent concerns regarding the induction of the displaced in society. 

 At the same time, the protagonist also offers a moving perspective of what it is to grow up in a country where his own identity or privileges were seldom under question. It was indeed stepping out of this personal, intimate realm that allowed him to view a world where cultural, financial and even educational hurdles made it impossible for those who might have a different skin color or country of origin, to find themselves at home in a country they had come seeking shelter or refuge.

In the process, crucial elements are weaved into one to present an uplifting and heartwarming story about kindness, friendship, breaking of borders and stereotypes, but above all, the power of people coming together as a whole to make all of it possible.

No Single Origin | Short Film of the Day

The conciseness of the narrative allows it to present the viewer simply a moment in the protagonist's life. As a man sits by himself in a park, sipping his coffee, he is met with a strange note. A riddle written on the piece of paper suggests the possibility of winning a prize in a game that he is now part of. Exiting the game is not an option. 

He continues to move from one note to another, securing himself significant amounts of cash in the process. However, both the viewer and the character before them, are unsure and unaware of the hows and whys of the situation - it simply is. Not investing too much thought in what came before, and what might come after, the man continues, note after note, until met with a shocking revelation. 

The narrative's intentions, in the process, come across as attempting to invoke a story of excitement as well as an uncertain fate of the protagonist. At the end of it, what will truly be the meaning of the entire endeavor?

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