By Melissa Walsh Photos Garry Sissons
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hot in Dandenong over two days, Mornington Peninsula filmmaker, Damian McLindon proved that quality movies are not about extravagant locations or high finances by winning this year’s Peninsula Short Film Festival with his heart rending film, ‘The Last Time I Saw You’. The short film outlines the story of a Muslim refugee girl who flees from the conflict in Afghanistan after she and her best friend step on a grenade. It reflects her struggles to assimilate into Australian society and the bullying she receives at school. However it is also a message of hope and the human spirit to survive. After taking home five awards at the Tropfest Film Festival the year before, Damian said to win Peninsula Film Festival was a great thrill, and one he was not expecting. “The film grew out of an earlier script I wrote for a feature length film about refugees, which is such a powerful topic and I have been so touched by what people will do to save their own families,” said Damian from his home in Balnarring. “The inspiration came from the true story of a young Afghani asylum seeker. I was incredibly moved by the trauma, sadness and ultimately the joy of a girl finding her place in a new and contrasting society. This is a small slice-of-life story of a larger refugee crisis and the plight of so many – leaving behind their home, friends and family – in the hope of a better future.” continued next page...
E ssence
68 | PENINSULA
March 2019