Blaze

The life of a 12-year-old girl is turned upside down when she witnesses a brutal and fatal assault.

«We have to fight to preserve our child selves, » claims director Del Kathryn Barton in an interview.

The 12-year-old girl, Blaze, witnesses a brutal assault and murder, and has her life turned upside down. Her father is supportive, but she has to find her own ways to deal with and process what has happened. The girl finds safety in her imaginary friend – a colorful dragon. But is the existence of the dragon directly linked to the murder, or has Blaze other traumas she is escaping by way of the imaginary creature?

Blaze is a film with many layers. It depicts childhood, the imagination of children and post-traumatic stress. It also explores how little a child’s interest can be considered in a criminal trial. The film is also a response to #metoo, in how it portrays the pervasive nature of violence: What affects one woman can also change the life of another.

The film is visually stunning, and a rich musical experience filled with music from Nick Cave to Soap & Skin – and Angel Olsen as the film's composer – contributing to making Blaze a meaningful and fantastical masterpiece about a child’s processing of traumas.

Maka Dolidze

Director

Sydney-based fine artist, sculptor and filmmaker Del Kathryn Barton was born in 1972 in Australia. Her early years were marked with depression, and art as a form of therapy against it. She won the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia - the Archibald Prizes - two times, in 2008 and 2013. Barton’s visionary paintings explore the female body, its nature and phases. Her artwork Sing blood- wings sing consist of 5 panels and is 10 meter long and can be seen in Blaze. Her films have been screened at film festivals in Berlin, Melbourne and Sydney.

This film is part of