Crossing Borders with Naomi Uman - Programme 1

Join us for the first part of a two-part program presenting the work of experimental filmmaker Naomi Uman.

Known for her hand-processed 16mm experimental films, Naomi Uman’s kaleidoscopic practice blends feminist perspectives with an exploration of documentary form. Her tactile portrayals of everyday life, women's labour, and the layered dynamics of shared existence reveal a world in which multiple boundaries—geographical, cultural, temporal, and emotional—intertwine and blur. Every borderline is at once tangible, fabricated, invisible, and imagined. 

Programme 01: Milk / Bad Milk 

Friday, 20th Feb 2026, doors at 7:00pm, screening at 7:30pm 

Uman’s experimental documentary diptych follows a Mexican family on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. The contrasting rhythms of manual labour and domestic life at home and abroad shape an intimate exploration of community ties, cross-cultural encounters, and migration. Shot on 16mm black-and-white film stock, LECHE (Milk, 1998) unfolds amid the daily routines of a dairy ranch in central Mexico. Its sequel, MALA LECHE (Bad Milk, 2003), filmed in colour five years later, depicts the challenges of adapting to life in the United States. Both sensitively reimagine what ethnographic filmmaking can be when grounded in corporeality and mutual implication. 

Leche (1998, 30 min) 

In 1998 Uman moved to a small village in central Mexico. Over the course of a year she befriended and subsequently filmed a family as they went about their daily activities: making cheese, tending to their cows, sharing meals. Leche is a simple yet tender depiction of ordinary gestures and local customs. 

Mala Leche (2003, 47 min) 

A sequel to Leche, set five years later. The film follows the relatives of the family depicted in Leche, who work with dairy cattle in the United States on an industrial scale and under harsh working conditions. Their hopes for a better life collide with the difficult reality of living as undocumented migrants.

Doors open at 7pm. Tickets available on a sliding scale from £4, 15% of all ticket sales donated to MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians), with the option for additional donations.