Yakka - Award Winning Australian Short Film

The devil, so they say, will make work for idle hands.  So it is with brothers Luke and Riley, the dual protagonists of  Yakka.  You can tell from the outset that, if they were in some suburban area with alternative company, that they would probably not have the time of day for each other – chalk and cheese.  However, they’re stuck in the middle of a secluded Australian estuary and they are, effectively, the only company that they have.

Their father is neglectful – and the film more than hints that their relationship with him is one of fear and violence.  There is no mother to be seen (no doubt she scarpered a long time ago) and the boys seem borderline feral, bruised, unkempt and unhappy.  This makes Yakka sound like a gloom fest, but it really isn’t – not that you’re going to see any pole-dancing unicorns here either, that’s for sure.  What it does do, really well, is paint a picture of the strained relationship between two very different brothers who, without proper parental care, have learned how to  fend for themselves (with all the resultant consequences of their choices).

Starring real-life brothers, Jiya and Javi Vander Straaten (above, with Grant Lyndon, who puts in a brief but assured appearance as their father), Yakka was written and directed by award-winning Australian filmmaker JackShepherd. The film has won a number of award, including Best Film at Port Shorts Film Festival 2024, Best Director at Canberra Short Film Festival 2024, Best Live Action Film at Sydney Lift Off Festival 2024, Best Cinematography at Sydney Lift Off Festival 2024 and Best Cinematography at Global (UK) Lift Off Festival 2025.

Watch Yakka below.