Artist Del Kathryn Barton makes her feature debut with Blaze, starring Simon Baker, Yael Stone, Josh Lawson and Julia Savage, and combining live action, puppetry and animation.
Barton, a dual Archibald prize winner, wrote the script with Huna Amweero.
The film follows 12-year-old Blaze (Savage), who witnesses a woman being violently attacked, leaving her catatonic with shock and struggling to make sense of what she saw.
She retreats into imaginary worlds, where Zephyr, the shimmering magic dragon who has been her companion since childhood, allows her to activate her own rage and ultimately find renewal.
Also starring are Morgan Davies, Bernie Van Tiel, Remy Hii, John Waters, Heather Mitchell and Rebecca Massey.
A Causeway Films production, the film is produced by Samantha Jennings and EP’d by Kristina Ceyton, with executive producers Deanne Weir, Daniel Besen, Chris Plater and Boris Tosic.
The director of photography is Jeremy Rouse, production designer Alex Holmes, editor Dany Cooper, costume designer Margot Wilson, sound designer Sam Petty and co-composer Angel Olsen.
Blaze is in cinemas via Bonsai Films August 25.