North American Premiere
Jake is a young trans man in Melbourne, struggling to find connection in his community while living in the shadow of his successful cisgender twin brother Sam. When the brothers learn that their estranged father is dying, Sam is too busy to make the trip to the countryside, so Jake decides to go in his stead — despite never having told his father about his transition. Upon arrival, the situation becomes more complicated than anticipated as Jake is mistaken for his brother, presenting him with a unique opportunity to step into a world where his masculine identity is never questioned.
Harvey Zielinski writes, directs, and plays dual roles in his feature debut, which he describes as “dangerous wish fulfilment,” mining a situation fraught with tension for humour and tenderness. As Jake begins to connect with his father for the first time, he also weaves a tangled web of lies that threatens to unravel. Sweet Milk Lake is a darkly comic thriller that examines gender roles, inherited trauma, and family secrets.
Oct 4 & 5: Filmmaker Q&A
Community Partner
Harvey Zielinski
Mia Morrissey, Harvey Zielinski, Hunter Page-Lochard, Kieran Darcy-Smith, Nic Cassim, Ngaire Pigram
Australia
2026
English
At International Village & Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
At Fifth Ave
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Deanne Weir, Michele Turnure-Salleo, Rosie Lourde, Robert Connolly, Liz Kearney
Producer
Harvey Zielinski, Philippa Campey, Molly O’Connor
Screenwriter
Harvey Zielinski
Cinematography
Michael Lincoln
Editor
Maria Papoutsis
Production Design
Wei Guo
Original Music
Chiara Costanza
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret in Their Eyes
This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!
The Haunting
Directed by Robert Wise in 1963, The Haunting is a classic exercise in the suggestive power of cinema, adapted from Shirley Jackson's 1959 best-seller, The Haunting of Hill House, a provocative blend of supernatural and psychological horror.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.
Possible Love
Lee Chang-dong’s first film since Burning (2018) is a sardonic, slow-burning satire about two couples: a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy businessman, and a working-class family struggling to make ends meet after the husband has been laid off.
