The film follows the story of Ellie, a young girl from a violent home. The 9-year-old seems to escape from her harsh reality by spending her days in the woods of a nearby scrapyard with her friend, Pete. There, the pair have built a new home for themselves. One night, after witnessing the horrifying abuse of her mother, Ellie decides to come back home and confront her stepfather.

- New Wave filmmaker (Student), Short Films under 40 minutes
Yard Kings
Comedy, Drama
15 mins
United Kingdom
English
Winner
Jury Choice Best Debut Short Film (Social Realism-UK) - Billy King
Best Director - Vasco Alexandre
Best Writer - Vasco Alexandre & Billy King
Best Actor - David Price
Best Actress - Elle Atkinson
Best Supporting Actress - Caroline Lazarus
Best Cinematography - Jakub Rogala
Best Sound Design - Zuzanna Pencak
Best Production Design - Miriam Abdulameer
Trailer
Play Video
Synopsis
Title:
Yard Kings
Original Title:
Yard Kings
Production Year:
2021
Casts:
Elle Atkinson – “Ellie”
David Price – “Pete”
Caroline Lazarus – “Lisa” (The Watchman, Infill & Full Set (short), Shelter (short), Londongrad (TV series), Humans (TV series), Serial Thriller: Angel of Decay (TV series)
Jermaine Ricketts – “Alfie” (Sex, Lies & Murder (TV series)
Producer:
Billy King
Writer:
Billy King
Editor:
Aiden Tobin
Dir. of Photography:
Jakub Rogala
Sound Design:
Zuzanna Pencak
Music:
Elliot Herrington
Production Design:
Miriam Abdulameer
Costumes:
Billy King
Producer Interview
Play Video
Festival:
2020
Category:
New Wave filmmaker (Student), Short Films under 40 minutes
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Director's Statement
With families in lockdown worldwide, hotlines are lighting up with abuse reports. The violence is more frequent, more severe and more dangerous. Since cases have increased by 20%, I cannot imagine a better time to tell this story. Told through the eyes of one of the biggest losers in a violent relationship -children- ‘Yard Kings’ observes a 9-year-old girl’s reality as a fly on the wall.It is a personal topic for me, and it was challenging to portray a social issue outside of my cultural zone. However, London is a complicated city, filled with all kinds of truths and contradictions, and I wanted to find my own emotional connection to it since my time there was such a significant chapter of my life.
Vasco Alexandre