Damage, debut Australian feature film

Ali, a refugee, drives a taxi using another man's licence and relies on the car's GPS to negotiate his way around a city he doesn't know. His passenger, Esther, is an old woman who can't remember where she is going. She is angry because she has been stripped of everything. As the film progresses, the pair form an unlikely connection.

The film's writer-director-producer, Madeleine Blackwell, said Damage's themes are "really important", especially in light of the unfolding war in Gaza.

"It is about the damage of war on the human being and how that damage never goes away. It is about the cause and effect of war and the need for understanding and humane values," she said.

Starring Ali Al Jenabi as the taxi driver and Blackwell's own mother, Imelda Bourke, as his passenger, the low budget feature is a true passion project.

Bourke was 88-years-old when production commenced and Jenabi was working full time in the building industry in Sydney's western suburbs, while living on a very insecure bridging visa.

It was also Blackwell's first feature film. After approaching almost 30 producers, she set about producing the film herself, launching a very successful crowdfunding campaign.

With a long theatre career behind her, Blackwell used techniques from this experience to craft the film.

"I love the expressive power of the human face; I love portraiture. This film is a portrait of two people just as it is a portrait of the Australia we have become in the 21st century," she said.

Damage is screening at Mount Vic Flicks from November 30 to December 3. For session times visit mountvicflicks.com.au.