Joseph Douglas Elmhirst made his directorial debut at just 21 with Mada (2020), a semi-autobiographical short about a three-generation family in rural Jamaica. Elmhirst’s second production was commissioned by the British Pavilion for the 2023 Venice Biennale, the first time in history that a film is among its offerings in Venice. Inspired by an upcoming book of the same title, written by Elmhirst’s mother, Burnt Milk takes place in 1980s London. When making the traditional Caribbean dish of burnt milk, the central figure, Una, experiences hallucinations of Jamaica. Shot in black and white, and narrated by the Jamaican-British actress Tamara Lawrence, this often delirious film tells a captivating story of ritual and remembering. —Paulina Prosnitz