Cracked Light is a film collective founded by Tom Lawrence-Doyle, Jarrah Murphy and Nicholas Burt, devoted to the creation and presentation of works that explore place and time in Australia. The name suggests rough edges, but a beautiful core. The group cares deeply about abstract, human storytelling, and we are devoted to exploring complex social problems with dashes of surrealism.
We care about an Australian national cinema, and we look to create films that speak deeply and truthfully to our identity as a nation, whilst having genuine international reach. Our team has a slate of short films that align with this vision, and we are currently developing a low-budget feature film that shares these ideals.
OUR TEAM
Tom Lawrence-Doyle is an award-winning filmmaker practising on Kaurna Land, operating in the space of impressionistic portraits of character and place. Tom wants to tell stories that are often left behind, having a skill in bringing out authentic performances.
His debut short film, ‘Bulldog (2023)’, follows two rural Australian Rules footballers who come to terms with their identities, which played at the Adelaide Film Festival and other esteemed festivals. Tom’s other acclaimed shorts include his 16mm film, ‘Does It Come With a Warranty? (2024)’, the surrealist ‘Road at the End of the World (2025)’, as well as the short Elvis Impersonator documentary ‘The King of Kadina (2026)’, which is in post-production.
He also works as an editor, with credits including the short coming-of-age film ‘The Magpie (2026).’ Tom is currently in pre-production on his debut independent feature film, ‘The Kids are Alright,’ which will be shot in late 2026.
Jarrah Murphy is a filmmaker practising on Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri Land, who is dedicated to abstract, modern stories, with a distinct Australian cultural analysis. He produced the short film ‘Bulldog (2023)’, which screened at numerous prestigious festivals. He has produced other shorts, including ‘Road at the End of the World (2025)’, ‘Deep Blue (2024)’, ‘First Suit (2026)’ and ‘Hera (2026)’, and was First Assistant Director on feature films ‘River (2026)’ and ‘Rewilder (2026)’.
Jarrah’s directorial credits include the short film ‘Swamp People (2026)’, as well as the coming-of-age short film ‘The Magpie (2026)’. Jarrah is currently in production on the experimental short ‘A man walks into a bar’, funded by the Hanlon Larsen Experimental Film Grant, and continues to develop new works under the production banner, ‘Cracked Light’.
Nicholas Burt is a SASA-nominated Australian cinematographer and filmmaker practising on Kaurna Land, who prides himself on finding the intimate moments in otherwise isolating or frenetic scenes.
Known for his cinematography on the acclaimed short films ‘Bulldog (2023)’, centred on two AFL players in a small country town, ‘Deep Blue (2024)’, a surreal odyssey into a woman’s decaying mind, ‘Road at the End of the World (2025)’, following a manic driver across the Nullarbor Plain and more.
Nicholas’ directorial debut ‘The Way of the Wind (2026)’, has so far been selected for Flickerfest, St Kilda Film Festival and Fantastic Film Festival, being shown around Australia across 2026.
Cracked Light Films
Cracked Light Films is based on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians of the Adelaide Plains, and we respect their spiritual relationship with their country. Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be.