Skip to main content
Blaze film image, director Del Kathryn Barton

Blaze

This event has passed

In the wake of witnessing a brutal assault, 12-year-old Blaze (Julia Savage) takes shelter in an imaginary world. Inspired by the posters and trinkets in her bedroom, this glittery, candy-coloured realm is also home to Zephyr, a papier-mâché dragon who consoles and counsels Blaze as she learns to overcome her debilitating fear. As her doting single dad (Simon Baker) accepts that he’s powerless to put things right, it’s left to Zephyr to stoke Blaze’s warrior spirit, allowing her to finally roar and ensure that justice is dispensed.

Having twice scored the prestigious Archibald Prize for her psychedelic fantasy artwork, Del Kathryn Barton now unleashes a towering debut feature that fuses live action, practical puppetry, stop motion animation, and expressive visual effects to chart Blaze’s tumultuous passage into adulthood. Teeming with images that sear themselves onto the subconscious, it’s a testament to what the imagination is capable of. Likewise, it asserts that rage can be every bit as purifying as fire.

 

Media Partner

Director

Del Kathryn Barton

Cast

Julia Savage, Simon Baker, Yael Stone, Josh Lawson, Sofia Hampson

Credits
Country of Origin

Australia

Year

2022

Language

English

Film Contact
Content Warning

Graphic Violence, Sexual Violence

19+
101 min

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

How Dare You?

Dir. Mipo O
96 min

A bug-loving boy, a passionate classmate, and a troublemaker launch playful eco-protests against their town’s careless habits. As their missions escalate, they face real consequences in Director O’s witty, bittersweet Grand Jury Prize winner from the Toronto Japanese Film Festival.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Filipiñana

Dir. Rafael Manuel
100 min

A luxury golf course in the Philippines is the microcosm for Rafel Manuel's vastly assured feature debut, a striking composed comedy which mixes languid surrealism with pointed political satire.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

A Sad and Beautiful World

Dir. Cyril Aris
110 min

This Lebanese love story chronicles the romance between a level-headed businesswoman and a romantic restauranteur across several decades in wartorn Beirut. It's funny, charming, melancholy and you'll feel it all.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
One Last Love Letter
One Last Love Letter film image; woman looking up

One Last Love Letter

Dir. Yuya Ishii
122 min

In 2024, Nazuna writes to the young man she secretly loved as a teenager. Her letter reaches his grieving father, revealing memories of Shinsuke, an aspiring boxer killed in the 2000 Naka-Meguro train disaster, and opening a tender exchange.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

American Doctor

Dir. Poh Si Teng
93 min

One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Samurai Vengeance

Dir. Takashi Minamoto
120 min

In Edo-era Japan, a young kabuki actor’s celebrated revenge becomes legend. When a provincial samurai investigates the truth behind the vendetta, conflicting testimonies expose hidden motives and buried secrets in this atmospheric jidaigeki mystery about rumor, performance, and myth.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Credits

Executive Producer

Kristina Ceyton, Deanne Weir, Daniel Bessen, Chris Plater, Boris Tosic, Simon Baker, Josh Pomeranz, Jonathan Page, Samantha Meers, Luke Tosic

Producer

Samantha Jennings

Screenwriter

Del Kathryn Barton, Huna Amweero

Cinematography

Jeremy Rouse

Editor

Dany Cooper

Production Design

Alex Holmes

Original Music

Sam Petty, Angel Olsen