YAKKA

Director & Writer Jack Shepherd
Producers: Matthew Toon, Lena Buchanan

Country of origin: Australia

Season Award #15 Nomination: 🏆 Best Short Live Action Narrative & Best Cinematography

Synopsis:Riley and Luke explore around the rundown boatyards surrounding their house, Riley asks Luke why he uses smaller live fish as bait for the bigger ones. Luke’s never questioned it.

With no success at the wharf, the boys ask their father to take them to a better fishing spot but he tells them to piss off. To spite him, Luke and Riley “borrow” his tinny and motor, with their bucket full of ‘Yakka’, to a secluded bay.

Luke and Riley approach one of the seemingly empty houses, as they have done many times before but this time, Luke forces Riley to take the lead. Riley breaks in and searches the house for something to eat but is caught by the homeowner, a
bedraggled older woman, who at first is determined to call the police but then offers to cook a meal for the hungry boy. Luke, fearing for the trouble he and his brother might be in, pushes the woman into the nearby table.

As the woman lay bleeding on the ground, Luke grabs the shaken Riley and the two make a run for it back to the boat. But Riley refuses to leave, wanting to help the woman. Luke, struggling with his own guilt and fear, tries to intimidate Riley into going with him, then to physically force him. Riley fights back, pushing his brother who falls into the fishing hooks and skewers his hand. Riley finally sees his brother for what he is, just like their father, before returning to help the woman.