For the first time, locally-directed and produced short film Yulubidyi: Until the End has been showcased to a WA audience at one of the State’s largest film festivals, CineFest Oz in the Southwest this weekend.

The film was screened during the festival’s premium timeslot on the Saturday evening as part of the ‘gala short films showcase’ before the red carpet announcement of the $100,000 feature film prize.

Yulubidyi: Until the End tells the story of a young Aboriginal man who helps his disabled brother escape form their abusive home life in a remote Australian community.

The Martu man is compelled to challenge his father, and liberate himself and his brother from the patriarch’s tyrannical hold with the aid of a Mamu, or dreaming creature.

The film was written and co-directed by former Murdoch University students Nathan Mewett and Curtis Taylor, and produced by Murdoch University School of Arts lecturer and screen production program chair Dr Glen Stasiuk.

The filmmakers have collaborated on previous works including the award-winning Sol Bunker and Wadjemup: Black Prison, White Playground.

Mr Mewett said the story of Yulubidyi is told in the traditional style of dreamtime stories, but also touches on current social issues.

“The hunger for change is strong in the two characters - the handicapped child’s inability to initiate this change provides strong emotional fuel, which ultimately empowers his brother forward to make the change really happen,” Mr Mewett said.

“Along the journey, their grasp of the dire realities of their world are escalated through visions of dreamtime-inspired creatures who act as their guides.

“These guides not only show them the necessity of escaping, but also awaken them to even darker aspects of their environment.”

Having been raised in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Northwest WA, Martu man Curtis Taylor said his upbringing across the region allowed him to capture the stories of his people with photography and film, and share them with the community.

“I make films to capture my peoples’ history and share with everyone from my community and from the outside - and I felt that Yulubidyi was a unique and important story to tell,” he said.

The film had its national debut at the Sydney Film Festival in mid-June to a sold out audience, and received rave reviews from critics who hailed it as “a powerful work…spectacular, moving and haunting.”

Dr Stasiuk said the team behind the film was extremely proud of the notoriety it has received by both national and international audiences thus far.

“The Sydney International Film Festival is one of the world’s best-recognised international film festivals for short films, and to have Yulubidyi play at it was both an honour and recognition of the work of all who worked on it – particularly the auteurs Nathan Mewett and Curtis Taylor.”

Based on the success of Yulubidyi at this festival, Mr Curtis and Mr Mewett were recipients of the Lexus Film Fellowship which will provide them with the means to make their next film, Jadai: The Broome Brawler, which will also be produced by Dr Stasiuk.

The Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship is a cash fellowship conducted by the SFF for short films in Australia. The sponsor of the Fellowship is Lexus and the film will premiere at Sydney Film Festival in 2019.

Filming of Jadai will commence December this year for a world premiere, once again at the Sydney International Film Festival in 2019.