Digging into Dance with Yeah the Boys Director Stefan Hunt and Choreographer Vanessa Marian in This Interview

Over the span of eleven minutes, the impressive short film Yeah the Boys sways and swerves through a boozy night with the lads in nondescript backyard Australia. Drinking culture, Aussie larrikinism, and the masculinity that finds fertile ground in these areas is brought to life with a pulsing score by The Avalanches. Oh, and all of this is presented with an the organic dance movements choreographed by Vanessa Marin. 

Yeah the Boys is written by Vanessa, with her partner Stefan Hunt taking directing duties. The titular boys are Neven Connolly, Kieran Crowe, Hadley Davidson, Jackson Garcia, Jordan Hill, Rob McLean, with Bailey Spalding appearing at the shorts start. 

It is, quite simply, one of the most unique and invigorating slices of Aussie cinema you'll see this year, and after winning the Best Australian Short award at the Oscar qualifying Flickerfest in 2024, and winning the Innovation Award at the St Kilda Film Festival, where it was also nominated for Best Cinematography, and receiving nominations for Best International Short at the Palm Springs Short Fest, Yeah the Boys will be available to view online from 15 October. 

Ahead of the films launch on Vimeo, YouTube and Instagram, I caught up with Stefan and Vanessa to talk about the process of planning and creating Yeah the Boys, I also ask Vanessa about how she managed to flow organic, natural movements in with the boys dancing, before I close the chat with asking Stefan about how Yeah the Boys plays into his relationship with death. This really is an interview that goes everywhere. For those interested in Stefan's work, including delving into his views on death, head over to StefanHunt.com.

Yeah the Boys is a fantastic realisation of creativity let loose, embracing Australiana, warts and all. It stands as a reminder why Aussie films of all lengths need to be recognised and celebrated - short films are films. 

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